life moves on
by peetas
Summary: A post-BOTW story following the lives of Link and Zelda after the fall of Calamity Ganon. Heavy Zelink, kind of a slowburn. Rated T just to be safe. :)
1. in which zelda cries a lot

"Do you...really remember me?"

It was a simple question that required a simple answer. But to Link, nothing was that simple.

The Deku Tree was right about her smile. It truly rivaled the sun. Link was enamored by it. Here was his princess, finally, in the flesh. Worse for wear, but unharmed, nonetheless.

And she was radiant.

After spending a century locked in a seemingly never-ending stalemate with the incarnation of evil, she still shined brightly.

How he had admired her.

Gathering his bearings, he got down on one knee in a kneel—a practice he had remembered from his old life. She was a princess, after all.

"How could I forget?" He said, his voice laced with emotion as he kept his eyes on the ground.

Tears formed in Zelda's eyes as she stepped hesitantly towards Link and said, "Link, please, there's no need for that. I should be the one kneeling to you."

Link shook his head, his head still bowed. He brought his hand to his face and it was then she realized he was crying.

"Link—" Zelda began, as she kneeled down in front of him.

"I failed you," Link said quietly, hand still over his face. "I failed in my duty. I couldn't protect you. I'm not worthy of your thanks."

Tears she had been holding back fell freely now as she wrapped her arms around her knight. "Link, that's not true. Please don't think that," she whispered softly to him.

He quietly sobbed into her for a minute while she held him before he wiped his face and regained his composure.

He stood up and offered his hand to her, his expression still solemn. She took it and stood shakily, before collapsing into his arms.

"I'm sorry. It seems I haven't gotten my bearings, yet." Zelda said wearily as she leaned onto her knight.

"You need rest," he said quietly as he called his horse over and helped her onto it.

Link followed suit, and as they started to ride, Zelda held onto him, cherishing the warmth of another person for the first time in 100 years.

Link thought about taking them to the nearest stable but then thought better of it seeing as they might bring unnecessary attention to themselves. So he decided to take the extra few hours and ride to his house in Hateno Village. At least there, Zelda would be able to rest peacefully without any interruptions.

They rode up to the house around 1am, and Link ushered his horse into the makeshift stable on the side of the house. He started to get off only to notice that his princess had fallen asleep. He carefully slipped off the horse and scooped her up into his arms bridal style. Having limited use of his hands and arms, he carefully opened the stable gate as his horse trotted inside. He then promised to feed the horse in a few minutes as it whinied gratefully at him and he thanked it for a job well done.

Pushing the door open with his back, he walked in, shut the door quietly with his foot, and started up the stairs. He tried to be as quiet as he could but the stairs creaked with each step as he made his way up and it roused the sleeping princess.

"Where are we?" Zelda said sleepily as she delicately wiped at her tired eyes.

Link carefully put her down on the bed as she looked around the room.

"Is this your house?" She asked curiously as she positioned herself to sit at the edge of the bed. He nodded and shrugged as she gave him a surprised look.

She got up with the intent to explore the cozy home but she stumbled a bit and thought better of it.

"You need to get some sleep." Link said as he gently laid her down onto the bed.

She shook her head, gently moving his hands away from her and said, "I need to get out of these clothes, first."

Link stopped and nodded, moving quickly to his dresser and rummaging in it for some clean clothes. All he could find was a light tunic and matching pair of pants. Hopefully they would suffice.

He handed them to her as he started down the stairs to let her change in private.

"Thank you, Link." Zelda said as she looked at him with a small smile.

He nodded and replied, "I'll be back, I need to tend to the horse."

Zelda nodded and watched his back as he walked back down the stairs.

Finally alone, Zelda stared at the clothes in her hand for a moment and slowly lifted them up to her face as she closed her eyes and took in the scent of them.

_They smell like him_, she thought.

The thought brought tears to her eyes again as she recalled his tearful breakdown at their reunion. He had never shown such emotion before. She wanted to comfort him, but she didn't know how. It frustrated her to no end. She wasn't even sure if he was the same Link she knew 100 years ago.

_It will take time_, she thought. She owed him her life. She was tired of him serving her all the time. Not that she wasn't grateful to him for that. But she wanted to change it. And she was determined to do what she could for him, for once.

Link came in quietly after he was done feeding and tending to his horse. He put the sack of horse feed back in the pantry and looked up to the loft where Zelda sat on the bed, staring down at him.

Link sighed, "Why aren't you asleep?"

"I've been sleeping for 100 years, Link." Was her curt reply, although she prefaced it with a yawn.

Link gave her a look.

She straightened, a blush forming on her face as she looked away. "You need rest too you know."

Link raised his eyebrows a bit at this and then he gave her his signature stoic look and replied, "Don't worry about me princess, I'll be just fine."

"Where are you going to sleep?" She snapped back, with a hint of sadness in her voice.

He looked down at the floor and looked back at her.

She wore a frown now and looked away. "I wouldn't mind if you slept up here. I feel bad for taking your bed."

Link sighed and looked up at her with a face that easily read, _I can't do that_.

She blushed and looked down at her hands sadly then back at him.

"Please, Link. Please let me help you."

He continued to stare up at her, his expression unreadable.

"It's the least I can do..." she whispered, desperate, now looking into his eyes. She was on the verge of tears.

Link hesitated for a moment, looking down. Then he started to make his way up the stairs.

Zelda sighed in relief as she smiled and watched him ascend up the stairs.

He got to the top and hesitated again for a moment, then went into another dresser to pull out a pillow and some blankets.

Zelda realized what he was doing with disappointment but made herself comfortable as she snuggled into the bed.

Link set up his own makeshift bed on the floor next to her, then went over to the light. He looked at Zelda before turning it off to make sure she was settled in.

She looked at him and turned over facing away from him, as he clicked off the lights and walked back over to his makeshift bed.

Zelda heard him shuffle a bit getting comfortable and then all was quiet. She stared at the dark wall in front of her and closed her eyes, listening to the faint sounds of wildlife outside.

"Thank you, Link." She said before drifting off to sleep.

He turned a little towards her, as he heard her breathing start to even out and he knew she had finally succumb to sleep. It was only then he too, was able to find peace as he let himself drift off as well.

* * *

Zelda awoke with a start as she sat up from the bed, panting and sweating profusely. She looked around wildly for a few seconds before remembering where she was. She gazed out the window and it was still dark, so she presumed she hadn't been sleeping for long. She held herself as her breathing slowed, and her eyes fell upon her knight on the floor beside her. Luckily he hadn't roused from sleep and she was thankful she hadn't disturbed him.

She stared at him with longing, thinking about her horrible nightmare she had just woken from and shuddered. She shifted on the bed and swung her legs over the side, gripping the edge of the bed. Biting her lip, she hesitated for a moment then slowly and carefully lifted herself up from the bed and walked quietly to Link's sleeping form.

She knew it was untoward, and that he probably wouldn't approve, but she didn't care. She felt safest when she was next to him. She had been locked away in a castle for 100 years, who could blame her for wanting some physical comfort? She deserved this, she thought to herself. They both did.

She knelt down beside him, and lifted the blankets he was under as she scooted underneath them. Once she was comfortable, she gazed at his sleeping face. He looked so peaceful, and she smiled at the thought. He had been through so much. He needed some peaceful rest. She carefully reached out and brushed a strand of hair from his forehead only to pull back when she was done as she realized he was staring at her.

Her whole face flushed as she was suddenly at a loss for words. He was silent as ever though, and didn't say a word of disapproval, or any word at all, like she had expected. It was almost like he understood. She was moved by this as a wave of emotion struck her and tears pricked at her eyes yet again. She snuggled closer, not caring for the moment what he thought of it, and rested her head against his chest. He was a little stiff at first, but relaxed and shifted himself to work around her. Hesitantly, he held her to him as she snuggled further into him, tears sliding down her cheeks as she drifted off into sleep once more.

Feeling her breathing slow, Link whispered into her hair, "Goodnight, Princess."

* * *

She awoke fully rested, albeit a tad uncomfortable, as she lifted herself onto her elbows to survey her surroundings.

_Right, I'm in Link's house,_ she thought.

Her mind went back to the previous night as she blushed furiously and flopped back onto her pillow, her hands covering her face in embarrassment. She wondered what Link thought of it as she peeked through her hands a bit and stared up at the ceiling. It wasn't very Ladylike, to do what she did, and she knew if she were still living in the castle, she would be scolded for her act. Her hands slipped away from her face as she thought sadly that she was no longer a princess of anything, really. Things had changed these past 100 years.

She sighed as she got up from the makeshift bed and realized that Link had made the actual bed and hung out a pair of clean clothes that looked like something she could actually wear.

She wondered where he got the clothes as she looked over the side of the loft and took in the whole house for the first time.

The house was quaint, but comfortable. He kept everything clean and tidy, and didn't have much furniture. As she walked down the stairs she noticed he had a collection of weapons, shields, and bows mounted all over the walls. She smiled. At least he decorated some...

She walked over to where there was a counter with a few things littered on top of it. Some recipe books, a potted plant and a picture.

She inhaled sharply as she saw what the picture was of. It was of all the champions and her, when they got together before the calamity and decided to take a photo to remember the occasion. Tears of sorrow formed in her eyes but she smiled sadly as she remembered her fallen friends. She caressed the photo gently as tears silently roamed down her cheeks. She needed to pay her respects.

She sniffed as she moved away from the photo and she drifted to the table only to realize that Link had prepared breakfast for her. She first caught sight of the breakfast but what really grabbed her attention, and tugged at her heartstrings, was a flower in a vase, propped nicely at the center of the table. It was her favorite flower, a Silent Princess. She bit her lip as tears once again threatened to spill from her eyes as she brought her hand to her face and smiled. Gently caressing the petals, she marveled at how much her knight truly remembered. And how she didn't think she deserved any of this at all.

Sitting down at the table, she ate her breakfast greedily, after having not eaten for 100 years, and basked in the sunlight that was coming through the windows.

She finished her meal rather quickly and was sure to wash the dishes thoroughly, and put them away.

She then wandered to the door and slowly opened it, peeking out slowly as the sun's rays shone down brightly upon her. Squinting, she opened the door a little more and took in the area. She scanned the beautiful greenland littered with flowers and trees and general wildlife. She realized they were a little ways away from a village tucked in a more private space. She liked that. And she wasn't surprised Link bought this house, anymore.

Her eyes found her knight, performing his usual combat exercises under a big tree. Normally, there was nothing odd about this—she had seen him doing those exercises on many occasions. Instead, this time he was shirtless. Remembering the night before, she flushed head to toe and looked away quickly.

Unfortunately, Link seemed to notice her presence before she could slither back into the house. He put his sword down and grabbed a towel hanging from a branch and wiped his face before heading towards her.

She stiffened as he approached. "Thank you for breakfast." She said before he could reach her.

He stopped and nodded. Then pointed up at the sun.

She followed his hand and realized. "Oh."

It was well after noon.

"I slept awhile didn't I?" She laughed nervously, wringing her hands.

She blushed as he walked up closer to her and surveyed her, a concerned expression on his face.

"I'm okay! I feel much better now! Though I could use a bath..." she said sheepishly, as Link's eyes widened and he ushered her to follow him around the house.

There was a small pond on the side of his house, and Zelda's eyes widened at what he implied with showing her this. "Oh...I see..." She trailed off staring nervously around her.

_It certainly wasn't the castle bath, but it would have to do_.

She was startled out of her thoughts as Link spoke, "Don't worry. No one will bother us up here."

She sighed, relieved, and nodded. "Thank you."

He nodded as well and went back inside to grab her a towel. He came back out a minute later with the towel and the clothes he left her in his hands.

"Oh, right! Thank you for these. Where did you get them?"

He gestured towards the village.

She gave him a sad look as she realized he had done so much for her in the span of only a few hours.

"Link..." she started slowly, "You really don't have to do all of this for me."

He shook his head and stared out at the grassy plain towards the castle. "You're right. I don't have to."

Zelda looked sadly at the ground.

"But I want to."

She looked up sharply at his reply to find he was now staring hard into her eyes. He had the smallest hint of a smile on his face as his eyes softened and he walked closer to her.

"Thank you," he whispered, "For saving me. For saving all of us."

She stood still, surprised as he once again kneeled in front of her.

"I owe you my life."

Once again, her eyes became waterfalls as tears started to spill from them and she lifted a free hand to her mouth.

_No_, she thought, _I owe you _my_ life_...

She put her clothes aside and pulled Link up from his kneel. He looked at her with a confused expression as she pulled him into a tight embrace. She knew he was shirtless and that might seem strange to him, but she didn't care, as she burrowed her head into his chest once more. He hesitated, again, but eventually brought his arms around her, returning the embrace. They stood like that for awhile and eventually they parted.

Zelda was blushing furiously from the tears as well as the embrace, but she looked at him, sternly. "I want to talk seriously with you. After my bath."

Link seemed curious but nodded anyways as he walked back into the house, giving her some privacy.

She sniffled a bit then shook her head and stood up straight, grabbed her clothes, and got ready to wash off 100 years of grime.

* * *

Zelda came back in to the house only to find that Link had been waiting for her, his shirt still off. She sent him to take a bath as well as she tidied up as best as she could.

Link came back inside not too long after, now finally fully dressed in his usual champions tunic, with her dress and some other clothes in hand.

"Oh. Thank you for washing those." She internally smacked herself for not noticing.

He nodded as he set them down over one of the chairs at the table and started folding them.

"Oh no, let me!" Zelda rushed forward and took them from his hands awkwardly.

Link looked at her, horrified. As a princess she never did her own laundry. But she had done a lot of un-princessly things in the past 24 hours.

"I'm sorry," She relented, "But I want to do things on my own from now on." She proceeded to walk upstairs and fold the clothes as Link stood and watched her, awkwardly.

He wasn't sure what to do with her. Not only were his memories still fuzzy, he wasn't sure how to treat her now. _Had their relationship been different before_? He wondered. He only remembered a few things still. It seemed like everything he did was wrong.

Clothes all folded, Zelda came back down the stairs and motioned for Link to sit at the table. Link did so but felt awkward when he realized she wasn't going to do the same and debated getting up and standing with her, but he thought better of it.

Zelda stood and wrung her hands, not knowing where to start.

Link looked at her patiently, although he was nervous inside as he picked up her distress. He also didn't like how she wanted to..."talk". He wasn't very good at that.

"I want things to...be different between us. From now on," Zelda started.

Link continued to stare at her and Zelda took that as a sign to continue.

She slowly started pacing as she fumbled out her words. "Seeing as I'm not technically the princess of anything anymore," she winced at this but continued, "And since Calamity Ganon has been defeated," she glanced at Link, "I'm not...in need of your services, anymore." She finished as she stopped pacing and looked at the ground.

"Link, as my last order to you as princess of Hyrule, I officially relieve you of your duties." She said as she looked him straight in the eyes.

"I refuse."

She gawked, completely caught off guard.

"E-excuse me?!" She hadn't anticipated he would outright refuse her request. Granted, she wasn't a princess anymore and didn't want to be treated as such, but Link directly denying a request from her was something she was not used to.

"I refuse," he said again, like it was the obvious answer.

Link didn't have much in his life since waking up from his 100 year long slumber. His memories were jumbled, he had accomplished his goal of defeating Ganon, and he wanted nothing more to do than to rest forever. But he couldn't do that. Even though his memories were pieces of a puzzle he was trying to put back together, Zelda was his constant. There was no doubt in his mind that he wanted to be by her side. The memories may be all over the place, but the feelings were there. He had been utterly devoted to his princess before the Calamity. And it would be easy for a normal knight to just be relieved of their duties and go about their life. But he wasn't a normal knight. Even though he only remembered parts of their time together, he had grown very much attached to his princess. And now he finally had her with him. By his side. As it should be. And she wanted him to leave her. He would have none of that.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she stared into his stubborn eyes.

"Link, please. I just want you to live your life," she whispered softly. "I'll be fine, I don't need your protection anymore."

He raised an eyebrow and pointed to the sickle he had on a mantle that he had procured from a very annoying Yiga member.

She looked over and sighed. "You're right. The Yiga clan is still out there. But you don't have to be the one to deal with them..." she paused and lowered her voice a little more, "Maybe I can find someone else..."

Link stood up then, surprising Zelda.

"Have I not proven myself worthy?" He said, his voice cracking, brow furrowed in anger. He relaxed after seeing the shock on Zelda's face and recoiled a bit, whispering, "Have I not done a...satisfactory job of protecting you, as your knight?"

They had had a rocky relationship at first, from what he could remember, but he didn't recall her ever getting hurt on his watch. Besides when the Calamity hit. He wanted to redeem himself for that.

She crumbled then, and walked over to him, taking his face into her shaking hands. "Never. You've never been unworthy," she sobbed, looking into his sad eyes. She had hurt him. She never wanted that.

"Then what is it?" Link asked softly.

Zelda hesitated. "I don't want you to sacrifice for me anymore. I'm tired of taking everything from you and never giving back. I want you to live your life. As you want."

Silence fell between them as Link pondered. She slid her hands off him and put them in front of her, a royal habit she will probably never break.

_How could she think that she never gave anything back to him?_ Link thought. She had saved him. Then she had spent the 100 years after continuing to save him. And the whole Kingdom on top of that. She was remarkable.

"This is what I want," He finally replied, his voice low.

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes and asked, "Are you positive?"

He wasn't sure about many things. But he was sure about this. He nodded, "I will stay by your side, for as long as you'll have me."

Tears streamed down her face at his reply as she smiled at him.

"Okay."

Zelda was still unsure about Link's decision but they had compromised on many things after that. There would be no more kneeling to her as if she were royalty. She was tired of that. They were to be treated as equals. Which meant no more calling her "princess". This was a habit Link would find hard to break. Link was also not bound by duty anymore. He had made a choice, and whether or not he wished to stick with it was up to him.

As they got ready for bed that night, Zelda stared at Link from his bed as he went to turn off the lights. He looked back at her, as he did before, but this time before he could turn the lights off, Zelda called out to him.

"Link wait..." she began anxiously.

He obeyed and looked at her patiently, waiting for her to continue.

Unable to continue to say words, being as embarrassed as she was, she scooted over making room for him as she patted the spot next to her on the bed.

He gave her the same look as he did the night before.

_I probably shouldn't._

"Link...please..." she said almost desperately, again. Then she added, "You can't keep sleeping on the floor."

He wrestled with himself for a moment as he recalled the night before. Although she insisted her royal title was no more, he still didn't feel right about it. But he couldn't refuse her.

He turned off the light and as Zelda was beginning to think he decided against it, he pulled back the covers and slid into the bed next to her.

He laid on his back, stiff as a board, as Zelda laid on her side, watching him. His eyes were still open as he stared at the ceiling. Zelda hesitantly scooted closer to him but he seemed to tense a little more at this, so she stopped.

"I want to visit the four races," Zelda whispered suddenly.

Link turned his head to look at her and nodded. Then just after, as if realizing something, he whispered softly, "Impa."

"Impa?" Zelda questioned.

Link nodded and realization dawned on her.

"Impa's...alive?" She said breathlessly.

Link continued. "Impa. Purah. Robbie."

Tears once again started to form at her eyes. She had to accept that this was going to be an often occurrence, at least for the first few weeks. She honestly shouldn't have been surprised at the trio still being alive, considering they were Sheikah...but she was elated.

"We must go to them, first."

Link nodded in agreement, a small smile on his face.

"Thank you for telling me," she whispered to him, a tear sliding down her cheek.

He looked at her fondly and reached over to wipe the tear from her cheek. He then fully resigned to his impulses and turned over, embracing her, as they both soon succumbed to sleep.

* * *

Link rose early to find that Zelda wasn't still in bed. Sitting up, he looked around the house to find she wasn't anywhere downstairs, either. Panicked, he frantically grabbed the Master Sword and his shield, and bolted out the door.

As he ran out of the house, a giggle stopped him in his tracks. He looked over to find Zelda tending to his horse, and his horse was licking her fondly.

He relaxed then, a sigh escaping from his lips as he started to walk back inside until Zelda stopped him.

"Link? Are you okay?" She called to him as he turned to her and gave her a small wave.

She watched him walk back inside and giggled at his appearance. His hair was completely matted and he looked frazzled. She probably shouldn't have come outside without telling him, but hey, she was free to do pretty much anything now, and she was going to take advantage of it. It wasn't like she'd wondered off anyways.

She pet the horse once more and walked back into the house. Link was already dressed and packing up his weapons and food stockpile for the journey. He had made a pack for her as well which was equipped with her old Sheikah slate.

She picked it up, surprised he'd given it back to her, but decided she'd look through it later.

They headed out around noon on Link's horse. Their first stop, Hateno Ancient Tech Lab. As they made their way through the village, people stared upon seeing Link with a woman, though most people didn't know who she was, nor did they ask. He greeted some people but he told them he was in a hurry so he didn't converse much.

Zelda took in the festivities of the village. They were celebrating, no doubt. She marveled at ribbons hanging off houses and looked fondly on the children that played so freely, not a care in the world. They had every reason to be happy and to be celebrating. But for some reason she got the impression that things had always been this way. She longed for a childhood like that. Simple, no political duties to attend to. No prophecies to fulfill. But that wasn't her life, and as she looked at her knight—no, the man in front of her, she realized she wouldn't trade it for the world.

As they trotted up the slope to the lab, Purah must have been expecting them, because as soon as she caught sight of them she started calling to them from afar.

"Who is that child addressing us?" Zelda questioned curiously.

Link chuckled, something she didn't expect from him. "That's Purah."

"What?!" Zelda had so many questions that Link never ended up answering, and once they reached the lab, Zelda was bewildered.

Just as Link helped Zelda down from the horse Purah scurried up to them and enveloped Zelda in a tight embrace.

"Zeldy!" She whined as she sobbed into Zelda's legs. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

_She is so short_, Zelda thought dimly.

"Purah? Is that really you?" Zelda questioned, holding onto the child who was definitely not supposed to be a child.

"Of course it's me!" She whipped her head up and released her hold on the princess. She struck a pose. "SNAP! You don't remember me, Zeldy?"

Zelda, still confused, shook her head. "Of course I remember. But I remember an older woman..." She trailed off.

Purah just laughed and ushered her and Link inside as she began to explain everything.

* * *

"And then Linky finally appeared before us!" Purah said enthusiastically as they sat gathered around her dining table.

Zelda stood up quickly and bowed to her, "Thank you so much, Purah. For everything."

"I'll not be having any of that nonsense, Zeldy!" The not so young Sheikah scolded as she put her hands on her hips.

Zelda shot up from her bow, surprised. Then her face softened. "Yes, I suppose you're right," she replied with a small smile.

"I'm just glad Linky brought you back to us and that you two are a-ok!" She flashed her signature pose.

Zelda managed a small giggle. "Yes, I am very grateful to him," she said softly as she glanced at the man in question.

Link sat quietly and nodded.

Meanwhile, Purah noticed the awkward tension in the air and smiled, "Hmmmm...?" She questioned as she looked between the two, curiously.

Zelda looked down as Link looked aimlessly around the house, both sensing her prying nature coming full force at them.

Purah thought she'd let them go this time.

"Zeldy! I see you have your Sheikah slate back! Why don't I give it a look-see? I have some upgraded tech I'd like to install for ya, free of charge!"

Link shot her a glare.

"What? She's the princess!" Purah exclaimed. "I've known her since she was a babe!" She patted Zelda's head, "You come here anytime and I won't charge you, okay?" She said sweetly.

"Why thank you, Purah," Zelda replied as Link huffed and got up from his seat.

As he proceeded to walk out the door Zelda responded, "Actually Purah, 'princess' won't be necessary, anymore."

"Wait, what do you mean?"

Link heard Purah's reply as he closed his eyes and let himself out through the front door.

* * *

Link was helping himself to a snack as he saw Simyn walking up the hill approaching the lab. He waved to him as Simyn waved back.

He had been sitting out there for around 2 hours, not wanting to go back inside to bother the girls. He figured they had a lot to catch up on, and that it might benefit Zelda to spend some alone time with someone who wasn't him.

Simyn approached and Link noticed he was carrying a bag of things. Probably more supplies for their research.

"Hey, hero!" Simyn greeted happily.

Link nodded in greeting as Simyn approached him.

"Congrats on finally stopping the Calamity! I hope you know how grateful we all are to you," Simyn said cheerfully as Link waved him off, politely.

Simyn was about to say something when two boisterous laughs were heard from inside the lab. Both Link and Simyn jumped a little and turned towards the door.

"Is that your Lady in there?" Simyn asked, an excited grin on his face.

Link wanted to protest about Zelda being "his lady" but he simply nodded.

"Well I need to go in and thank her! She did something incredible...she protected all of us...for 100 years…" Simyn said as he trailed off, a look of admiration on his face.

Link nodded in reply and followed his gaze again toward the door.

Simyn then walked up to the front door and proceeded inside. Link watched him for a moment before figuring he should follow suit. He stood up from his sitting position, wiped off his pants and followed him inside.

As he walked in, he caught Simyn practically goading over Zelda in thanks. He was shaking her hand frivolously as Zelda stood anxiously.

"You are a true savior, we can't thank you enough for what you and Link have done."

"Please, it's quite alright," Zelda said, embarrassed as her eyes fell upon Link entering the room and she blushed harder. "But thank you very much," she added.

Purah noticed Link come in and called out to him. "Linky! We were just going through the Sheikah photo rune! You have some pretty interesting photos in here!" The Sheikah researcher snickered mischievously.

Link flushed. He had forgotten all about those.

"Oh right!" Zelda exclaimed as she plucked the Sheikah slate out of Purah's hands and scurried over to him, excitement plastered all over her face.

"Link! You must tell me about these photos!"

She proceeded to ask him where he took certain photos and what the creatures were that he'd seen. As she prattled on to him about the photos, Link's expression softened as he looked at her fondly. He was happy that she was finally smiling and showing so much excitement.

Purah and Simyn watched the pair and exchanged knowing smiles. They went back to work silently as the two heroes sat together locked in conversation.

* * *

Link woke with a start not realizing he had fallen asleep. He was still sitting in the same position as the night before, at the foot of the entrance of Hateno Ancient Tech Lab. He felt a weight on his shoulder as he slowly looked down to see the sleeping figure beside him. He smiled softly as he recalled the events of the night before. Zelda had asked him about almost every photo in his album before proclaiming she wanted to visit all the places he'd been, and then falling asleep.

Link noticed Zelda was still barely holding onto the Sheikah slate, so he took it gently from her and placed it on the ground next to him. Zelda shifted from the movement and snuggled closer into Link, still sleeping soundly.

"Looks like you two slept nicely."

Link looked up to see Purah perched on a chair at the dining room table, her legs swinging back and forth off the side. She had a mug next to her along with some ancient parts she was fiddling with.

Zelda shivered a bit and Link pulled a blanket that was draped over them around her.

"Simyn put that around you two little birds last night. I should've gotten a snap when I got the chance..." She added, reluctance plastered on her face.

"Oh well...maybe next time," She winked at Link with a smile.

He stiffened, and glared at her once more.

"Oh come on, don't be like that, Linky!" She said waving a stray screw around. "Live a little~" She teased. She meant it though. These poor kids had been through so much. Even though she teased them, she genuinely wanted them to be happy. They had never caught a break until now.

Link went back to looking at Zelda as she fussed again.

Purah eyed them as she set down her tools and hummed as rested her head in her hands.

After a few moments she whispered softly, "You're allowed to love her, you know."

Link looked back at her slowly, a hint of uncertainty in his eyes. They stared at each other a moment, before Zelda started rousing from her slumber.

Zelda lifted her head from Link's shoulder and rubbed at her eyes. "What happened?" She questioned sleepily.

She looked at Link slowly, quickly realized how close they were, and put the pieces together in her head.

"We fell asleep!" She shouted. Link nodded, stifling a yawn.

"Duh!" Purah chimed in from the table.

Zelda jumped and scooted noticeably away from Link as she became aware of Purah's presence.

"Purah! Good morning!" Zelda said, surprised yet delighted to see her friend.

"Mornin', Zeldy! I hope you slept well!" Purah said cheerfully, then adding, "Your knight took great care of you while you were asleep." Purah winked.

Zelda flushed and avoided Link's gaze. Link just glared at the adult child.

"Hehehe, you guys are so easy! Anyways, who's hungry?"

* * *

After eating a much-needed breakfast, the pair decided to head out.

"You sure you don't want to come with us, Purah?" Zelda questioned.

"Nah, if my sister saw me like this, she would freak!" Purah waved her off. "Besides, she'll have a lot more on her plate once you two get there. I would just get in the way."

Zelda looked at her with concern.

"It'll be fine, Zeldy! Besides, there's still much work to be done here!"

Zelda sighed. She was right. The guardians had shut down after Ganon's fall, and Purah had wanted to research how to get them back up and running.

"Okay then, we'll be off..." Zelda said as she hugged Purah one last time and shook Simyn's hands. "Thank you for taking care of us."

"Be back soon!" Purah smiled and waved as Link helped Zelda up onto the horse.

"You take care of her Link! Or else!" Purah warned as Link waved her off and hopped on his horse.

As they trotted off down the hill, Purah yelled to them one last time, "Don't forget about what I said, Linky!"

Link stiffened on the horse but didn't acknowledge her. Zelda looked at him curiously but didn't question him further.

As they continued to wave to the pair, Simyn looked at Purah curiously. "What did you tell him?"

"Oh nothing." Purah said, a mischievous smile on her face.

"I just told him what he needed to hear."

* * *

They decided to stop at Dueling Peaks Stable before heading to Kakariko Village, since Link didn't want to travel at night. Upon getting to the stable, Zelda noticed the shrine across the way and as they got off the horse, and she immediately started towards it.

"Zelda, wait!" Link called as he and the stable owner were tending to his horse.

Zelda bounded off with the Sheikah slate in hand and stopped at the edge of the small pond that was formed around it.

"Intriguing," she marveled as she took in the fully activated shrine. She had never seen a shrine activated like this before and was fascinated by it. She took out the Sheikah slate and started making notes.

As Link ran up to her, she started walking further into the pond towards the shrine.

"Hey!" Link stopped her as he caught her by the elbow.

"What?" Zelda said bewildered. "I just want to get a closer look."

Link sighed and let go of her, "You're going to get your clothes all wet."

Zelda gave him a look and put her hands on her hips.

"So?"

Link gave her a look of disapproval but didn't say anything more.

Zelda smiled and turned back around towards the shrine but didn't proceed forward.

"You activated these, right?" She asked with her back still towards him.

He nodded. "I found many of them during my travels."

She sighed and finally turned back towards him. "I guess I can look at another one in a better location, next time."

Link smiled. Zelda put the Sheikah slate back in her bag and walked back towards the stable as Link followed close behind.

As they approached the stable, they noticed a couple of people had gathered and were watching them approach. Zelda stopped and Link got in front of her, protectively.

An elderly man stepped to the front of the crowd and addressed them.

"We heard this young man call you Zelda." The man started, looking at Zelda.

Link eyed him as he continued.

"We just wanted to give our thanks to you," the man said as he bowed and the other people followed suit.

"You saved all of Hyrule and kept Calamity Ganon at bay for 100 years. We are all grateful to you."

Link and Zelda stood shocked and Zelda thanked them as they continued to express their gratitude.

Awhile later Link prepared some food for them to eat as Zelda sat by the fire. Some people had come up to them after the initial fanfare and thanked them or told them stories of them they heard as kids, but otherwise Link was glad they weren't being bombarded. The stable owner said they could stay the night, free of charge.

What marveled Zelda was that Link seemed to know everyone. What they didn't know was that he was the Champion of Legend who wielded the Master Sword. But they found it was easier to believe Zelda was Zelda than Link was the Champion. Zelda found this funny but it didn't seem to bother Link. She watched as he interacted with the people and thought about how much he'd grown in 100 years. The Link she'd known before barely interacted with anyone unless he had to. He still didn't talk much but he seemed more friendly and open with everyone.

It made her wonder if he'd met someone during his travels. The thought made her heart ache but she kind of wished it were true, just because he'd have found some happiness during his perilous journey. She shook the thought from her head as she watched Link cook.

She forgot how good he was at it. She ate the meal he prepared greedily and decided to retire to the stable shortly after.

When Link didn't follow suit as she started to head inside she looked back curiously at him. "Are you not coming?"

He continued to stare at the fire and responded, "I prefer it out here."

Zelda frowned. _He's been sleeping inside this whole time_, she thought. Then she realized they had been sleeping on the floor these past 3 nights. Though she never thought he actually preferred it, maybe he really did. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she liked sleeping with him these last few nights. And if she were going to be honest with herself, she was disappointed he didn't want to do the same this night. A thought then creeped into the back of her mind that maybe he actually didn't like sleeping with her, and that he was just doing it to appease her. She immediately pushed this thought away.

She decided to respect his wishes no matter the reason and relented.

"Okay," She said softly as she walked back into the stable. She got the feeling he was worried about something but she didn't want to push it.

Link sighed as he watched her disappear into the stable. It was going to be another long journey from here on out.

* * *

Zelda awoke to the hustle and bustle of the early morning stable. As she got up she realized Link had decided to not sleep outside after all and was dozing cross legged at the foot of her bed.

She smiled. _Some things never change, _she thought_._ She just wished he wasn't so stubborn.

She got dressed and tiptoed quietly around him as she left the room. A couple people stopped and stared at her as she exited but no one said anything. The stable owner bounded over to her once he realized she was awake. "How did you sleep, princess?" He asked.

She smiled and waved him off nicely. "Please, call me Zelda. And I slept very well, thank you."

The stable owner was taken aback at her comment but recovered quickly and bowed politely. "If there's anything else you need, please let me know."

Zelda nodded and proceeded outside. It was a bright and sunny morning. Children were playing, people were conversing happily, and the stable dog took notice of her and trotted over. She smiled and knelt down and pet his fur which he gratefully accepted. As she took in her surroundings, her eyes landed on the stable where the horses were being fed and tended to. She took note of Link's horse who seemed to notice her and whinied in her direction. She smiled and then stopped when she noticed the horse next to him. She stood up quickly then, and stared at the other horse in shock.

"It can't be..." she said as she stared at her horse from 100 years ago.

Link was suddenly at her side as she looked up at him, still in shock. He was looking at the horse in question and then looked down to her and smiled.

"Link...how?" She questioned with her hands to her mouth, still unbelieving.

He shrugged and ushered her over to her once beloved horse. There was an elderly man standing close to the horse and as they approached, he smiled at them. Link recognized the man and wondered silently why he was all the way out here.

"A marvel, isn't she?" He said. "Has she been faring well, lad?" He asked Link.

Link smiled and nodded as Zelda reached up a hand to the horse. The horse regarded her cautiously at first, then gave her hand a fond lick.

Zelda laughed as tears pricked at the corners of her eyes.

"She looks just like the royal horse belonging to the princess, doesn't she?" The old man said to Zelda. "We think she must be a descendant of that horse. She was found roaming around the princess's favorite spot in Hyrule."

Zelda looked at the man, shocked.

He continued, "When we told this young man about the horse, he ran off to find it in such a hurry. He was back within a few hours with this very horse in tow. I was so surprised, no one had been successful in taming her. But she took a liking to him very fast."

Zelda looked at Link who was stroking the horse fondly. Her face softened as she touched his arm gently in thanks. He stopped and looked back at her and smiled.

"You know, you resemble the late princess very much, from what I've heard of her." The old man said eyeing her curiously. Zelda looked away and back at the horse, embarrassed.

The man continued to stare at her, "Now that the Calamity has been vanquished, it is possible that she's still here with us..." he trailed off.

"Yes, I supposed that is possible," Zelda said sadly, now stroking the horse's white coat, softly.

The man smiled at her, "If she were here, I'd like for her to have that horse and the royal armor it bears. My family had been taking care of it for years. I lent it to this young man in the hopes that he'd one day pass it on to her."

Zelda stifled a sob and continued to look at the horse.

"I'm sure she'd be very thankful." She responded, as the man continued.

"Do you think you can give it to her? And tell her how happy we are that she's alive and well? Would you do that for me?" The man continued to smile as Zelda turned to face him, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Yes, of course," Zelda smiled as the man took her hands in his.

"Thank you so much, lass. You have made this old man very happy." He said as Zelda nodded, tearfully.

They waved to the man as they left, both on their respective horses. As they rode off away from the stable, Zelda turned toward Link and asked, "What did you name her?"

Link turned to her ever so slightly, his mouth curved up into a smile and responded, "Storm."


	2. the festival

Zelda and Link stopped to take a break after a couple hours of riding. They were almost at Kakariko but Zelda had insisted they stop so she could investigate a peculiar mushroom that was thriving in the area that she had never seen before.

As Zelda took pictures and notes and was busying herself, Link watched on in amusement. He sat on a rock not too far away resting for the moment. He became nostalgic of their current predicament as, from what he could remember, they used to do this quite often. He remembered how she would often use him as an experiment for some of her discoveries. He shuddered at the thought of being almost forced to eat a frog. Then again, he did cook some great elixirs with it...he thought reluctantly.

A twig snapping not too far away caused Link to stiffen as he got up, instantly on the defensive. He looked back at Zelda who didn't seem to notice and carefully walked over to find the culprit. He walked into a shrubbery and instantly found the offender. It was a Blupee, hopping around a small clearing, checking out the flora. Immediately he got into a crouch and quickly looked back at Zelda to make sure she was still ok. She didn't even seem to notice he was gone. Link chuckled silently to himself and went back to scoping out the rupee rabbit. He wondered why it was all the way out here. It was rare to see them away from fairy fountains, but it did happen. He always had fun with these guys mostly because they were a challenge to sneak up on, but he thought that Zelda might like to see one in person, so he decided to capture it for her. Though almost instantly as he turned his attention away, he heard voices approaching. Standing up straight, he spun around eyeing the newcomers and scaring away the money rabbit in the process.

He cursed to himself as he started running towards Zelda and the two newcomers whom he didn't recognize. _That's not a good sign_, he thought.

"Yes, it's just a little ways down the trail, you won't be able to miss it," Zelda was saying as Link approached cautiously.

Zelda noticed him approach and regarded him sweetly, "Oh, Link! These two were just asking for directions—" Zelda started as Link took her arm and gently pulled her back behind him.

"Who are you?" He said as he glared at the two men, a hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Link!" Zelda scolded, "they're just travelers, it's fine!"

Link ignored her and continued to glare at the two men who just looked at him with a confused expression. Link noted that one of them was a shorter, frail old man while the other was bigger and rounder. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, but considering that they were a little ways off the trail it was concerning.

The bigger man smiled innocently and replied, "Oh we're just two old men passing through. We thought we recognized this lady here and asked for directions," the man continued. Link narrowed his eyes.

His face suddenly darkened as he added coldly, "It turns out you're exactly who we thought you were, Princess."

Both men suddenly transformed in a puff of smoke to reveal that they were Yiga Clan members. The smaller man was a Footsoldier and the other was a Blademaster.

Link's eyes widened as he cursed, "Shit," and pushed Zelda away from him and towards their horses. "Zelda, run!" He yelled to her as he dodged a fatal blow from the Blademaster.

Zelda gasped upon they're sudden transformation and turned away quickly, starting for her horse.

As Link parried another blow from the Blademaster, the footsoldier took off for Zelda.

"Oh no you don't!" The footsoldier said as he poofed in front of Zelda, blocking her path.

She gasped and ran opposite into the shrubbery. Link watched as the footsoldier followed. He cursed again and turned his attention to the Blademaster in front of him. Once he was finished with him, the other one should be easy, he thought.

The Blademaster unleashed his ground manipulation attack as Link followed the updraft with his parasail and landed a blow to the Yiga. The Yiga stumbled and then poofed to a farther location. Link was able to detect where he teleported to, however, and knocked a bomb arrow quickly as the Blademaster phased in. The blow knocked him back a few feet and it gave Link enough time to wail on him again with the Master Sword. The Blademaster stumbled again and took a knee.

As Link was about to deliver the final blow he heard Zelda scream from the shrubbery she had disappeared into. Link quickly looked back to see what happened but the Blademaster took this advantage and hit him with his most fatal attack.

Link was shoved backward by the blow, hitting the ground hard and he shakily tried to lift himself back up. He fell back against his elbow and coughed up blood as his free hand hovered over his fresh wound. He looked down at it weakly and cursed again.

This is bad, he thought as he winced at the pool of blood now pooling around him.

The Yiga approached him, intent on giving the final blow, until Zelda burst out of the shrubbery with the Footsoldier hot on her heels. The footsoldier was cursing at her and seemed to be drenched in blue liquid.

_A chuchu_? Link thought.

She stopped in her tracks when she noticed Link on the ground with blood pouring out of him. "Link!" She screamed as she started running towards him, but the footsoldier had caught up and grabbed her violently by the hair. She cried out in pain.

"Gotcha!" He said, triumphantly.

"Zelda," Link called out weakly, his voice laced with pain as he tried again to get up, but to no avail. He cursed at himself for not being able to help her.

_She's hurt again because of me_, he thought.

The Blademaster, surprised at Zelda and his companion's entrance, stopped mid-kill and regarded the smaller Yiga.

"Good job on procuring the princess," He said as he held his Windcleaver to Link's neck.

"Don't you touch him!" Zelda cried as she squirmed in the smaller Yiga's grip, still being held up by her hair. Tears streamed down her face as she tried to break free. "Let me go!" She growled as she wildly scratched at the man's hands, yet he didn't seem to be phased.

Suddenly, an arrow exploded in the Blademaster's face as he was temporarily distracted by Zelda and Link took an opening to shoot a bomb arrow straight at his mask.

He was knocked back and dropped his Windcleaver to cover his face to which Link, still on the ground, crawled to retrieve. He grasped the Windcleaver and chucked it at the Blademaster's shin, making direct contact and slicing through, ricocheting away from them. The Yiga roared in pain.

Meanwhile, the explosion distracted the smaller Yiga and Zelda took the opportunity to kick him where it hurt. He cried in pain and dropped the Princess as she rushed towards Link. She wasn't fast enough, however, as the Blademaster reclaimed his senses quickly and walked back over to Link who was attempting to crawl away.

She cursed and looked around for any weapons she could use to distract him. She couldn't let Link get hurt on her behalf, again. She was so tired of that. Anxiety was starting to bubble up inside her as she was overcome with a feeling of uselessness. She snapped her eyes shut as a wave of nausea overpowered her. She shook her head to will the dark thoughts away and steadied herself. As her mind was spinning, an idea popped into her head. She snapped her eyes back open and she searched for something. Her eyes found her Sheikah slate perched on a rock where she had left it. She grinned.

The Blademaster reached Link and kicked him hard in the stomach where his wound was as he gasped and coughed. He rolled over until he was face-up on his back glaring weakly at the Blademaster. Link sat up suddenly and spat in his face. Half the Yiga's mask had been blown off in the blast and the spit hit him square in the eye. The bigger Yiga growled and stomped hard on Link's stomach in retaliation. Link howled in pain once again and coughed up a decent amount of blood.

"Hey, asshole!"

The bigger Yiga suddenly looked up, unaware that Zelda was now standing a few feet in front of them, Sheikah slate in hand. He growled and made a move to go after her when suddenly he froze in place.

Link looked up with one eye closed in pain as he stared up at the now frozen Yiga. He had been hit with the stasis rune. He knew that he'd only be like that for a few seconds.

"Zelda," He began weakly, "you have to hu— wait what are you doing?" He was stopped midsentence and he looked on in astonishment as Zelda grabbed the Master Sword and began hitting the frozen Yiga furiously with it.

Link looked on in shock as Zelda gasped and grunted and cried with every hit. Eventually, the stasis rune shut off and the Yiga Blademaster fell to the ground unceremoniously and didn't get up.

Zelda stood panting for a minute until her legs gave out and she crumpled to her knees, tears sliding down her cheeks. She sat back like that for a few moments as she stared at the fallen Yiga, her body numb.

Suddenly the Footsoldier was behind Zelda ready to strike but Link was quick to knock another bomb arrow and take him out. He didn't die, but he poofed away leaving some rupees in his wake.

Zelda was ripped out of her trance then and scurried over to Link.

"Link...oh goddesses, you're hurt..." she said shakily as tears kept falling from her worried eyes.

"Zelda..." Link began, but Zelda kept going.

"It's all my fault...I'm always so useless...all I'm good at is getting you hurt...what am I going to do?" She prattled on, shaky hands over his wound trying to stop the bleeding. She suddenly stopped as he reached up a hand to her cheek.

"Zelda." He said sternly. "It's going to be ok. I'm going to be fine," he ended softly as Zelda took his hand and her eyes focused on him.

He gestured to his bag and Zelda quickly handed it to him as he fumbled around in it. She sniffled and wiped her eyes as he took out a small bottle and chugged it. He let out a sigh as he finished it off and tossed it aside, laying for a minute on his back staring up at the sky.

Zelda sat on her knees and looked on, worried. He looked at her slowly as he felt the pain starting to recede.

"I've temporarily stopped the bleeding. That should hold me off until we get to Kakariko," he said as he slowly brought himself up to a sitting position.

Zelda nodded and sniffled again, wiping her nose. "Let me bandage that for you," she said, regarding the giant gash on his abdomen.

He looked down and nodded as he started to take off his holster and shirt.

Zelda quickly went to wet a washcloth in a nearby pond and hurried back to tend to the wound. Zelda hesitated before starting, banishing her embarrassment at his current shirtless state. Link sat back, his legs stretched out in front of him and winced as Zelda started cleaning some of the blood off. They were silent for awhile while she worked until Link spoke suddenly.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, his eyes downcast.

She looked up, surprised, "What for?"

He hesitated before answering, "I was distracted when they approached. If I hadn't been, I would've noticed them earlier and we could've avoided them." He berated himself, silently. He should have been better.

Zelda sighed and went back to work on his wound, "You're only Hylian, Link. You can't be too hard on yourself." She stopped, still looking at the stained washcloth in her hand. "Besides, I should have been more careful..."

They went silent again after that and Link studied Zelda's face as she worked. Even now she was beautiful. She always was, he thought.

The horses had come up after the commotion died down and Link's nudged his head. He looked up and smiled and pet his head in acknowledgment, letting his horse know that he was ok. He turned his attention back to the Princess.

"You're not useless, Zelda," Link said suddenly.

Zelda stopped and looked up at him, tears pricking again at her eyes.

"You were rather impressive with that rune, and the way you wielded the Master Sword..." he said, a small smile forming on his face. He was proud.

Zelda blushed and went back to tending to him as she replied, "Purah told me it could stop enemies...so I gave it a try." She ended with a smile.

"I don't think I've ever heard you curse before," Link added and he hissed as Zelda went over a tender spot. She blushed darker, this time with embarrassment, and she dipped her head further into her work, her hair hiding her from Link's gaze. "T-That was very unbecoming of me..."

Link chuckled and eyed her fondly, "I thought it was pretty amazing." Zelda hesitated for a moment and continued to avoid Link's stare. He cursed to himself, regretting his statement. He should've known better than to try to praise her—every time he'd done that so far she had dismissed him. However, Link did catch a small smile appear on her face as she continued working. He sighed in relief. He had gotten away with it this time.

"Also don't blame yourself for me getting hurt," he added softly. "It's my choice to put myself in harms way."

She didn't look up at him but merely nodded.

"Ok," Zelda huffed as she stood up surveying her work, hands on her hips. "That's as clean as it's going to get. Now time for bandages."

Once Zelda was done bandaging Link up, he took out an extra shirt and put it on carefully. They saddled up and it was her turn to help him up onto his horse as they started heading out, once again.

As they continued their journey to Kakariko Village, a thought popped into Zelda's head. "Link...what was it that distracted you?" She asked as she tilted her head in curiosity at him.

He scratched his head and let out a nervous laugh. "Something I wanted you to see," he said, "maybe I'll get another chance to show you."

Zelda blushed as they continued the rest of their ride in silence. She pondered about what he wanted to show her as a small smile formed on her face. She really hoped she'd get to see it.

* * *

People were already gathered at the entrance to Kakariko Village as they approached. The sun was setting and the pair were most definitely tired after their eventful day.

People gathered around them as they made their way to Impa's house. Everyone was gawking at Zelda with such amazement that it made Zelda flush with embarrassment. She looked over at Link who was being fawned over by the children. She smiled as she watched him interact with them. Though her eyebrows furrowed when she noticed he was looking rather pale. She picked up the pace.

When they arrived at Impa's place they were immediately greeted by a few Sheikah warriors who kneeled before them.

"Welcome, Princess," one of them said. "We've been anxiously waiting for your arrival. Impa is waiting for you," the guard ended as he got up and extended his arms up the staircase in welcoming.

"Thank you, but first, he's injured," she gestured towards Link who held onto his wound. Link removed his arm around his abdomen to discover that the bleeding had picked up again. He cursed.

"Be sure to take him straight to—" she didn't finish as she had gotten off her horse and stumbled, almost hitting the ground before the Sheikah guard caught her.

"Princess!" The guard shouted.

"Zelda!" Link shouted in unison as he slowly dismounted his horse.

"I'm fine," Zelda responded, holding her head in pain and standing back up.

Link noticed this and gently lifted her hand from the spot where she was touching. He saw that she was badly bruised, most likely from the hair pulling she dealt with earlier. He cursed to himself for not noticing sooner.

"You're hurt," he said, regarding her wound.

"It's ok," Zelda said and continued to wave them off as she stood up straight and started walking forward. "I just want you to get taken care of as quickly as possible, alright?"

Link was about to voice his disagreement as he stumbled and caught himself on the railing. He winced in pain and held his abdomen. He looked up at Zelda who gave him a worried look as the Sheikah warriors helped him up the stairs. He didn't say more after that.

As they reached the top, Link was quickly rushed to the side of the house where they laid him down and began looking at his wounds. As they rushed him in, Zelda noticed a young Sheikah girl eyeing Link worriedly, though she kept her position at the side of a very old woman.

"Impa," Zelda said breathlessly.

Impa smiled and bowed her head slightly, regarding her. "Hello, child."

Zelda couldn't stop her tears from forming as she carefully walked up to the fragile Sheikah and they embraced.

"There, there," Impa soothed as Zelda sobbed into her shoulder. "I'm glad to see you alive and well," Impa began, "Though it looks like you two had some trouble on the way." She regarded Link's struggling form.

Zelda backed away slowly and nodded. "It was the Yiga clan..." she wiped at her eyes.

Impa shook her head, "Ah yes, I should've suspected as such."

Zelda folded her arms elegantly in front of her as she shyly glanced at the young Sheikah girl.

"Oh pardon my manners, Princess, this is my granddaughter, Paya." Paya bowed low in greeting.

Zelda was caught off guard by this but smiled and said, "It's very nice to meet you, Paya." She still wasn't used to everyone being 100 years older. It made sense that Impa had made a life for herself after the Calamity.

Paya jumped a little at her reply but recovered quickly and responded back, "I-It's very nice to meet you too, p-princess! We've been e-eagerly waiting for your arrival!" She bowed again as Zelda politely waved her off.

"Oh, that won't be necessary, Paya. And you can call me Zelda." Zelda smiled at the younger girl as Paya looked at her, shocked.

"Oh, I just couldn't!" She said covering her face in her hands. "Y-You're the p-princess after all a-and you saved us all from the C-Calamity..." Paya finished as she peeked at Zelda through her fingers. Zelda smiled at her.

_She's really very sheepish_, she thought. She wondered what her relationship was with Link.

"I did want to talk with you about that, Impa..." Zelda said, breaking out of her thoughts, as she directed her attention to the older Sheikah.

"I would like to relinquish my title as Princess," Zelda said determinedly.

Paya and Impa's personal guard Cado balked at her statement. "What?! That's ridiculous! Are you hearing this, Impa?" Cado shouted.

Impa merely hummed in response and continued to look at Zelda.

"Oh, you mustn't!" Paya exclaimed suddenly, and then recoiled, embarrassed. "We've been waiting 100 years for you to r-retake Hyrule...Everyone's been waiting for so long for you to come back to lead us. The people v-very much need your guidance," Paya finished.

"Do they?" Zelda snapped back almost instantly as she met Paya's gaze and the Sheikah looked at the floor again in embarrassment. Zelda continued, "I know it's selfish of me but—"

"But it is your duty!" Paya lifted her head back up and met Zelda's gaze again with her own, her brows furrowed in anger.

Zelda recoiled a bit at her rebuttal and winced at her words. She was so tired of that word. 'Duty.' She scowled at the floor angry with herself and the situation she was in.

"Now, now." Impa interjected softly, "Let's discuss this at another time, yes? This is the time for celebration. The princ—Zelda has returned to us. We will wait for Master Link to heal and we will hold a proper celebration in honor of our two heroes." Impa smiled at Zelda. "I'm sure you could use some rest, child."

Zelda hesitated as she let the subject go and nodded.

"I'm sorry, Paya," Zelda turned towards the young Sheikah who in turn stiffened, "I shouldn't have yelled at you. I spoke out of turn." She bowed softly to Paya who flustered instantly.

"Oh no, Princess! I'm also very s-sorry I shouldn't have interrupted you and questioned your judgment!" Paya proceeded to bow down on the floor in forgiveness.

"That's quite unnecessary, Paya!" Zelda said as she ran over to the girl and helped her back up. It was only when she looked into the young Sheikah's eyes that she noticed she was crying.

"Paya..." Zelda started.

"I'm s-sorry...you must have been through so much..." Paya sniffled, "I should have been more considerate of your feelings."

"No, it's quite alright...I hadn't considered your feelings as well..." Zelda relented, "I'm equally ashamed for being inconsiderate of these things...I can be selfish sometimes." Zelda finished as she glanced over at her former knight.

"I am sorry too, princess," Cado chimed in, bowing in apology. "I hope you can forgive us."

"It's quite alright, really," Zelda responded looking over to the guard.

Paya frowned and bowed slightly again, "Even so, it was rude of me, p-please do forgive me."

Zelda smiled and stifled a laugh. Paya flushed in embarrassment. "Oh no, I'm not laughing at you, Paya. It's just...this is all so silly..." Zelda finished as she wiped a tear from her eye. Paya's eyes widened as Zelda took her hands.

"I forgive you, Paya. You too, Cado. And I hope you can forgive me as well. It seems we have a lot to learn from one another. I hope we can get along from now on!" Zelda finished, beaming at the young girl.

Paya blushed as a small smile graced her cheeks and she nodded.

The tender moment was suddenly interrupted by the guards scrambling around Link at the other end of the house.

"Master Link, you mustn't get up! Your wounds need to be taken care of!" One of the guards exclaimed as Zelda and Paya looked over to find Link trying to get up from the bed he'd been set on.

"Link!" Zelda cried as she rushed over to him, Paya following close behind. He settled down immediately as she got to his side and took his hand.

"You need to let them help you, Link," Zelda said softly, as she gently laid him back down.

Link looked at her wearily, "I needed to make sure you were ok," he said as he squeezed her hand, "I heard yelling." She flushed but shook her head.

"I'm ok, really. Everything is taken care of. You just don't go checking out on me yet, alright? You're going to be just fine," Zelda soothed as she touched his forehead feeling his temperature. She scowled when she realized how feverish he was.

Link coughed. "Don't say that..." he rasped, "the last time you said that things didn't end well for me..." he chuckled.

Zelda looked at him in disbelief as tears rose to her eyes at the mention of that terrible night. She took both of her hands in his and brought them to her lips as she prayed. "Please take care of him," she whispered softly as she then looked at the men surrounding them.

Sensing her unease, one of the men regarded her, "He'll be fine Princess, we just have to get him to cooperate."

Zelda nodded as she slowly got up and let go of Link. He looked at her weakly but smiled. She smiled back as she backed away to Paya's side and let the guards do their work.

The guard that just spoke turned around once more and said, "Princess, you should get checked out, too."

Zelda hesitated but nodded as he turned back around.

"Let's take a look at that wound ok, Princess?" Paya smiled as she then corrected herself, "Oh! I mean Z-Z-Zelda!" Paya finished, clearly struggling, a giant blush gracing her cheeks.

Zelda smiled and nodded as she followed Paya up the stairs to her room.

"Paya..." Zelda started as she stopped just before the end of the staircase, "I'd like you to do something for me."

—

Link's eyes peeled open in the early morning as he got up on his elbows and looked around.

He was shirtless and had a clean bandage wrapped around his abdomen. He got up slowly, careful not to go too fast to reopen the wound. Looking around, he spotted the Master Sword and his shield leaning on the wall off to the side. He also saw that there were some clean clothes laid out for him—the usual Hylian tunic and pants. He put the clothes on carefully as he grabbed his harness equipped with his sword and shield and headed out into the main room. He passed Impa who seemed to be snoozing and looked around anxiously.

"Should you be up and about?"

Link whirled around, suddenly alerted to the older Sheikah's presence. Link eyed her and shrugged as he continued to looked about the house. Impa looked on curiously as she watched Link scurry back and forth.

She coughed to get his attention and said, "Zelda's resting upstairs in Paya's room."

Link stopped suddenly as he looked up to the room to confirm. He walked up a few steps until he could vaguely see the top of her head peeking out beneath the covers of Paya's bed. He came back down the stairs and nodded towards Impa in thanks and then proceeded outside. She would be safe there for now.

The sun had almost risen as he walked down the steps carefully and noticed his and Zelda's horses being kept at the bottom. As he got to the bottom he also noticed Paya praying to the statues that littered the front of the gate, a basket of apples at her side.

Noticing his presence, the young Sheikah got up suddenly, a blush present on her face. "M-Master Link! You shouldn't be up already!"

He shrugged and gestured to the horses.

"Oh! I've already given them some apples this morning. T-They ate them right up!" She smiled up at the two horses who regarded her, still eyeing the basket of apples.

Link nodded as he pet the two horses. "Thank you, Paya."

Paya stiffened as she waved her hands in front of her, "Oh no! It was not a problem at all, r-really!"

Link turned to look at her in the eye and clarified, "Thank you for taking care of Zelda."

Paya stopped flustering as a light blush rose to her cheeks at the mention of Zelda. She smiled and looked down and nodded. "I think we'll get along well, but I have much to learn about her."

He laughed then, out of the blue. Paya stiffened and blushed furiously at his response. She was shocked at his odd reaction but that wasn't the main reason he had surprised her. She didn't think she had ever seen him laugh before. He had such a nice laugh. She wanted to hear it again.

"Sorry," He relented. "It's just...I know how you feel."

Paya said nothing as Link then walked over to the basket, took two apples out and walked back to the horses who took the apples gratefully. He chuckled at their gluttony but then sighed, looking wistfully up at the sky.

"I think Zelda needs a friend her age who isn't me..."

Paya's eyes widened, surprised at how open he was being. He had always been very focused and hardly showed his true feelings to anyone. But she was mostly surprised he was sharing them with her. Not that she didn't mind of course.

_He must really care for the Princess, to worry about her like this so openly_, she thought sadly. Even so, she would do anything to help him.

Sensing Link's unease, Paya touched his shoulder gently as he looked at her. "Master Link...F-Forgive me for saying this but...Princess—Z-Zelda needs you most of all." She looked down, a blush still on her cheeks, "You're the only one who could relate to her, given the roles you've both played..." She looked back up at him, a hint of sadness in her eyes, "P-Please down downplay your importance in her life. I can tell she cares very deeply for you, and you for her. A-And maybe...it would benefit you both if you just spoke plainly to one another." She finished as she realized her hand was still on him and she pulled back, quickly.

Link furrowed his brows as he thought about what she said. She was right. He was horrible at expressing his feelings, especially around her. But he knew that they couldn't keep tip-toeing around each other forever. He remembered their talk back at his house about her relinquishing her title and him vowing to stay with her. They had talked technicalities then and had barely scratched the surface of anything beneath basic understanding of one's feelings. But every time he had expressed any appreciation for what she had done, she shut down on him, disregarding what she did as though it were nothing. How could he voice his admiration of her without her getting upset? He didn't know how to get through to her.

He wasn't any better, really.

He nodded a 'thank you' to Paya who bowed back, uttering niceties. As he continued to ponder this, his eyes wandered towards the entrance to Impa's as he witnessed a figure with short blonde hair retreating back into the house. Paya followed his gaze and she smiled sadly as she realized what he had seen. Link's eyes widened as he then started up the staircase towards the house once more.

* * *

Zelda had woken up to the main door closing. She found she had slept pretty well in Paya's bed, though she felt guilty for taking it from the younger Sheikah. Her head was feeling much better after yesterday's predicament. She got up slowly and surveyed her surroundings, recalling the events of the night before. She looked in the mirror perched aside the wall and smiled. Paya had been reluctant to fulfill her request at first, but once she told her why she had decided upon it, the young Sheikah relented.

She fiddled with her short golden locks as she proceeded to braid her newly cut hair into their usual style wrapped around her head. This proved to be a bit difficult now since her hair was much shorter and she struggled with it for a bit. After a few do-overs, she got the hang of it and surveyed her work in the mirror, rather impressed with herself. She got dressed and went to pick up her hair clips which Paya had kindly gifted to her. As she picked them up off the desk she noticed what looked to be Paya's diary. She glanced at it with the intention of not looking further until she spotted her former knight's name written in the pages. She glanced through one sentence and flushed at its contents as she turned away quickly and then silently vowed to read no more.

_So she did have feelings for him_, she thought sadly. She was nice enough, she pondered, and would certainly deserve him more than she did. She wondered if Link felt the same about her...

Steeling herself, Zelda tucked the clips into her hair and walked down the stairs to find that Link was no longer resting in his makeshift bed. She frowned.

_He shouldn't be up._

She passed Impa who was dozing in her usual spot and carefully opened the door. A gentle breeze wafted in as she closed her eyes and took it gratefully. She opened her eyes and looked around slowly at the beautiful scenery and took in how peaceful the village was. Birds were chirping and she could hear the faint sound of the river down below. She felt safe here.

Her eyes fell upon her former knight at the bottom of the staircase tending to the horses. She noticed Paya at his side and she stiffened. They looked to be having an intimate conversation. She noticed Link chuckle a bit and she sighed. She silently wished he could be like that around her. He never did let his walls down, and if he did, he quickly put them back up again.

"Your hair looks nice," a voice said softly behind her.

Zelda turned around to find Impa staring fondly at her. Her hand went up to her hair as she blushed and said, "Thank you. Paya did it for me."

Impa nodded and smiled, watching the young girl carefully as she seemed troubled.

"Link can't protect me from everything..." Zelda said sadly as she continued to fiddle with her hair. She turned towards the door again and watched as Paya put her hand on Link's shoulder. She frowned.

Impa hummed in response and closed her eyes. Then she said, "But he will try..." She watched as Zelda stiffened a bit at her response.

Deciding she better change the subject, the older Sheikah questioned, "Now child, what is this about relinquishing the throne?"

Zelda sighed as she continued watching Link and Paya's interaction. "I want to be in charge of my own life." She looked sadly at the pair below and turned away from the door shutting it behind her. "I know it is my duty, but I have fulfilled my purpose as the goddess's chosen one..."

Impa watched closely as Zelda moved closer to her, continuing. "I spent my entire life up until the Calamity...preparing for the Calamity. It is all I ever knew...I never got to experience life outside of praying to the goddesses." She wrung her hands as she spoke and she paced slowly back and forth. "I know it is selfish of me but...I do not know if the people truly need me anymore." She looked at Impa then, desperation prevalent on her features.

_Or if I'm even worthy of them_, she thought sadly.

Impa nodded and closed her eyes once more. "If that is what you wish child, then I will not stop you from doing what is best for you." She opened her eyes and smiled. "After what you've done for us, you deserve to choose your own path as you see fit."

Zelda nodded though she was still unsure. "I want to visit the 4 races. After observing how they are living and thriving, I think I shall make my decision. I will decide whether I shall take upon the throne again or not." She looked at Impa, a new sense of determination welling up inside of her. Impa smiled in approval and nodded.

Suddenly the door opened as Link entered with Paya following close behind. Zelda and Impa turned toward the newcomers as Zelda felt her heart rate increase when she laid eyes on her former knight.

He was looking at her in awe. Link didn't think she could be any more beautiful, yet here she was, proving him wrong. They stood like that for a minute, without saying anything, and Zelda felt a blush rise rapidly up from her neck to the top of her head. She touched her freshly cut hair, feeling self-conscious.

"Well say something, boy!" Impa said rather loudly as everyone jumped at the sudden break in the silence.

Link hesitated once more for a moment before saying, "You-You look good." Zelda flushed a deeper shade of red as he added, "it really suits you."

_You're beautiful_, he'd wanted to say but he held back.

Zelda looked down in embarrassment and replied softly, "Thank you." Her gaze shifted to Paya, then she added, "Paya did it for me. She also gave me these clips." She gestured to the blue clips she had nestled in her hair.

Paya stiffened at her acknowledgment and waved her hands in front of her. "Oh, it was nothing! I h-heard that the Princess, I-I mean Z-Zelda! Had an affinity for clips, so I thought..." She trailed off, putting her hands in front of her face. Zelda smiled at her, appreciation in her eyes.

Link's gaze was still on Zelda as Impa regarded him. "Master Link, you really should rest up some more. Once you are fully healed, you can help us set up for the festival in honor to celebrate your victory." He snapped his attention back to her as he nodded, reluctantly.

"W-We would very much like it if y-you could join us Master L-Link, so please rest up!" Paya chimed in as she wrung her hands nervously.

He glanced over at Zelda again who flushed and looked at the ground. He frowned, thinking he had made her upset again. He nodded to Paya and Impa and made his leave back to the makeshift bed. As he lay down once more, his thoughts wandered back to what Paya had said.

* * *

Over the next few days, Zelda helped the village set up for the festival. She tried to help wherever she could, but she found that she was more of a burden sometimes than a help. Growing up in the castle and having people do everything for her had proven to have its negatives. She really hadn't learned to do much regarding housework like cooking and cleaning, and outside work, like farming and helping Cado round up some cucco's. She didn't mind though. It was a challenge for her to learn how to do these things but she thought that it would really help Link in the long run.

She wanted to change. She wasn't worthy now but maybe she could be. She was determined to learn as much as she could to help.

Link had gotten a fever the first full day he was resting and was bedridden for another day as he was fighting infection from his wound. He had woken up that night to find Zelda sitting in a chair beside him sleeping with her head and arms on his bed. He watched in a daze as she stirred in her sleep, looking distraught. In his feverish state, he had brushed her hair out of her eyes and kissed her cheek as he held onto her hand and drifted back into slumber. Once he had awoken, no longer feverish, to find Zelda no longer there, he sat back with his head in his hands and berated himself for doing such a thing.

He was now up and about on the fourth day almost completely healed and helping with the preparations. He and Zelda hadn't been able to talk much due to being busy, but he would cross paths with her every so often.

Currently, he was up on one of the rooftops adjusting the clothing line that the ribbons hung off of. He spotted Zelda at the bottom coming out of the shopkeeper's house carrying a basket of food. He watched as Zelda smiled and laughed with the shopkeeper girl. He smiled. She seemed to be fitting in well with the villagers and was getting along with everyone. He was glad she was making friends.

"Oi!" One of the men helping him yelled up to him from below, "You ok up there?"

Link ripped his gaze away from Zelda as he looked down to the man and nodded, resuming his work. He looked back to find Zelda and the shopkeeper girl looking up at him, giggling. He flushed, embarrassed. He continued adjusting the line and tied it off.

"Don't let a couple a girls distract you, ok? We're almost finished," the man teased.

Link shot him a dirty look as the man grinned up at him and gave him a thumbs up. Link groaned and brought a hand to his face, squatting low in embarrassment.

The shopkeeper girl laughed harder as Zelda just smiled, a blush on her cheeks. They continued to walk past as the man below regarded them politely. Zelda looked over her shoulder sheepishly as they got further away and spotted Link still embarrassed on the rooftop. She looked at him longingly as he bantered with the Sheikah man. She wished to be alone with him again.

"That knight of yours is pretty handsome, wouldn't you say?" The shopkeeper mused next to her, pulling her out of her thoughts.

She hummed in agreement as she tore her gaze away from her former knight on the rooftop. "I daresay he is."

* * *

The day of the festival finally came. After a whole week of preparation, it was time to celebrate and relish in their hard work.

The festival managed to bring Robbie and his wife and son out of their quaint home in Akkala to see the Princess. Their reunion was a happy one as Zelda rushed into Robbie's arms and thanked him for all that he had done. He introduced her to his wife Jerrin and his son Granté, to who Link noticed took a peculiar interest in the princess.

Zelda had talked for hours with Robbie about the progress of his research, and what he'd accomplished over the years. They reminisced about before the Calamity and talked about the future. Like Impa, Robbie was supportive of whatever choice she decided to make regarding her retaking of the kingdom. She was grateful that people were respecting her decision and would be ok with whatever she chose. Even so, she was still frightened of the outcome.

The festival began in the early morning as people woke up and started celebrating. There were ribbons all throughout the town being passed out to everyone, and food littered tables only to be refilled throughout the day. People sang and danced as there was a band of Hylian's and Sheikah's playing all kinds of instruments in the center of the village. Villagers drank and laughed as the children ran around and played.

Link found himself wandering into the small clearing just outside the village where a few headstones were littered about. It was early morning and he often found himself roaming to this same place. He slowed as he spotted a little girl sitting cross-legged on the grass in front of one of the gravestones.

He smiled sadly. _Figures_.

He approached slowly, careful not to disturb her, though she became aware of his presence and turned around. The girl sniffed and rubbed her eyes furiously before acknowledging him.

"Link!" Koko greeted as Link waved and plopped down on the grass next to her. He carried a couple of ribbons and handed one of them to her. She took it apprehensively, a blush on her cheeks.

"What are you doing here?" The young girl asked.

He shrugged and replied, "I should be asking you the same thing." Truth be told, her father was looking for her.

Koko frowned and looked back at her mother's grave sadly. "Koko wishes Mama could enjoy the festival with us..."

Link followed her gaze to the gravestone and stood up. He walked over to it and gently placed one of the ribbons around the base, tying it into a knot to keep it from flying away.

"There." He turned around to Koko and beamed at her, "Now she can."

Koko looked on in bewilderment as tears streamed from her eyes. She gently sobbed as Link walked back over to her and knelt down, patting her head in comfort. He knew how much she tried to be strong in front of him and her family, but she was just a kid.

They sat like that for a while as Koko let out her grief and gratitude while Link sat in front of her, patiently.

After awhile Koko calmed down a bit and wiped at her eyes, sniffling softly. Link watched her and waited.

She sniffled once more and wiped her nose. "What's Princess Zelda like?"

Link tilted his head, confused at the sudden change in subject.

"She seems nice...but Koko doesn't know her very well," Koko added, sensing his confusion.

Link nodded and thought for a moment. She was a lot of things. Strong, intelligent, powerful, independent, courageous. He could go on forever.

"She's...amazing." He began. "She held off Calamity Ganon for 100 years, while I could barely hold him off for 5 minutes," he chuckled.

Koko's eyes widened in admiration as she scooted closer. The young Sheikah didn't know much about the Calamity but she knew it was important. And since Link didn't talk much, she enjoyed it when he talked to her.

"She tried so hard to unlock her powers. She was so frustrated when she couldn't. And she blames herself for the fall of Hyrule." Link continued wistfully as Koko looked on, her brows furrowed.

"But it's not her fault!" Koko cried, now sitting up on her knees, feeling remorse for the Princess. Her tears threatened to spill over again.

"I know. But she did it in the end. She harnessed the goddess's power and made it hers. She saved us all," he ended with a smile. Pride for her swelled up inside him.

Koko sat back again and pondered this for a moment, hand on her chin. She looked at Link and he smiled softly at her. She looked down again and seemed to nod to herself, seemingly coming to a decision about something. She looked back up at Link.

"Do you love her?"

Link looked back to the young girl staring at him inquisitively, waiting for an answer. He blinked and wondered what could make such a young girl ask such a loaded question.

"I do."

She smiled. "Good." She wiped her eyes once more and got up to walk over to her mother's gravestone and patted it gently.

"Princess Zelda kind of reminds Koko of Mama. Though she's not as pretty and her hair is yellow." Link smiled.

"Mama needed love from Papa. Even though she was very strong." She turned to Link. "I think Princess Zelda needs love too."

Link sighed and stood up, brushing the dirt off his pants. She was too smart for her own good. "I think you're right." Though he knew it was easier said than done.

Koko smiled as Link extended his hand to her.

"Let's get back to the festival."

* * *

Zelda stepped out of Impa's house finally ready for the festivities. Paya had helped her pick out a dress to wear for the day. It was made of traditional Sheikah material but they had dyed the red parts the sea blue that resembled the late champions' colors. Paya also had the dress embroidered with a Silent Princess at the top left of the dress so that it lay nicely against her chest. The dress was knee length and it wrapped around her robe-style. A large golden sash wrapped around Zelda at the waist to keep it together. She also wore short black leggings underneath so she could be a bit more active if she wanted. Her hair was put up in its usual fashion, equipped with her matching clips.

Zelda thought it was a bit much for this kind of festival, but she had been in worse-fitting clothing. And what she was wearing was at least comfortable.

She was enamored with the scenery below as she descended the stairs. She was especially proud of having helped make the festival happen. She was glad at the opportunity to finally relax, though throughout the day she found to have trouble doing so. Sheikah men and women flocked to her as the day wore on, not getting the chance to talk to her during preparations. She talked to many people and heard their stories and listened to their woes. She told her story, which many people knew, about how she was trapped in the castle for 100 years fending off Ganon, until the Chosen Hero came to rescue her.

The children liked to listen to her stories the most. They were enamored with her and loved to hear her tell of Link's final fight with Ganon. Although she was still traumatized by the events that took place these past 100 years, she found that talking about what happened to these eager children soothed her.

She just got done telling of Link's final battle with Ganon, for the second time, when a toothy girl asked dreamily, "Are you and Link going to live happily ever after, now?"

They were sitting not too far away from the main festivities in the center of the village. Zelda was perched in a chair while 4 children sat beneath her, completely engrossed in her tales.

Zelda blushed at her bold statement, taken aback. Truth be told, she hadn't thought much about her and Link's future relationship. She hated to admit that she had a little hope inside her about what their relationship could be... and she certainly hadn't been blind to how handsome he was. But she'd always pushed those thoughts away. Though that was getting increasingly hard to do as of late. She just didn't have time to think about that nor did she really want to. Afterall, she doubted Link felt that way about her. Not to mention, she didn't know the extent of his memories of her. And he had met so many different people along his travels... Besides, she had been so focused on how to go about these next few months visiting the 4 races, and her royal title, that she hadn't really stopped to think about her personal life. And what that entailed for the future.

Zelda smiled sadly, "I really don't know. I hope so."

"Come on Cottla I don't care about this mushy stuff!" A young boy reprimanded. The other 2 boys present shouted in agreement. The young girl called Cottla shrunk into herself, embarrassed. "I want to hear about Link's battle again!" The boys cheered.

"Now, now," Zelda began, trying to quell the young boy's outburst. "It's perfectly fine for Cottla here to be curious about these things. After all, curiosity gets you places." She winked at the young Sheikah girl.

Cottla giggled and stuck her tongue out at the young boy who reeled in disgust.

Zelda chuckled and looked around at the scene in front of her. She watched as people danced while the music played. People were chatting and drinking and having a good time. It reminded her of the castle balls, though way less formal. But she reveled in that. She loved the simplicity of everyone and everything and especially loved having no one to answer to.

Her eyes glanced over to the giant banquet table to find her former knight, getting his fill of the delicious food they'd prepared over the course of the week. She laughed again, her hand covering her mouth.

She stood up and bid the children farewell for now and started towards him. She hadn't gotten the chance to spend time with him the past couple of days and wanted to know how he was faring. The children whined as she walked away, waving goodbye to them. She got about halfway to the banquet table when someone stepped in front of her and bowed.

"Princess," the young man started.

"Oh! Hello," Zelda responded. As he rose from his bow she recognized him as Robbie's son, Granté.

"Sorry to bother you, I was just wondering if I could have a word?" He asked, his hands laced behind his back.

Zelda's eyes shifted to Link in uncertainty. He was still at the table conversing with a Sheikah man and didn't seem to take notice of her or Granté. She looked back at him and smiled.

"Of course."

Granté bowed again and gestured her to lead the way. Luckily, he seemed fine with settling for a bench not too far away from the main scene. Link was still in view and Zelda took comfort in being able to see him.

Link stood at the banquet table and munched gleefully on a meat skewer. He looked around at the scene before him and watched people enjoying the festivities. Many different people had come to take part in the festival. Travelers passed through often and had heard of the shindig throughout the past week. Though unlike the Sheikah, they didn't know it was a festival to honor the Princess and the Champion.

Link wasn't too worried about intruders, given that they were surrounded by Sheikah warriors and it'd be hard to get out of the village alive. Also, they had put special procedures in place so no Yiga or monster could enter. But that still didn't mean he wasn't on his guard. The recent Yiga attack was still fresh in his mind.

He wasn't much of a crowd person but he really wanted to eat, which is why he was now uncomfortably at the center of the party. It was a sacrifice he was willing to make. Besides, he wanted to keep Zelda in sight.

As he looked around, he spotted Paya, beside Impa's perch next to the guardian statues. They were talking to each other and Paya glanced shyly at him every so often. He caught her glancing once and smiled at her in acknowledgment. She stiffened, a huge blush on her face and continued talking to Impa. He chuckled, averting his gaze only to lay on Zelda who was sitting not too far away, entertaining the children. He smiled softly at the sight. He remembered her not being very good with kids so he was glad they had taken a liking to her. He noticed Cottla get up and stick her tongue out at one of the little boys. He chuckled.

"You should ask her to dance," a voice said beside him.

Link turned around to find Dorian standing next to him, two drinks in hand. He shook his head slightly in response, a weary smile on his face.

Dorian shrugged, "Okay then." He then extended his hand and offered Link one of the drinks.

Link gulped his skewer down then set the skewer stick on the table. He then took the drink, looking at Dorian inquisitively.

"I thought you could use a little something. You did save all of Hyrule after all."

Link looked back at the drink and hesitated. He then shrugged and proceeded to chug the whole thing.

"Whoa, slow down there, kid!" Dorian exclaimed, looking at Link in disbelief.

Link wiped his mouth and put the empty cup on the table. His mouth felt prickly.

"Hey just don't tell Impa about that, ok?" He winked. "And slow down with those!"

Link nodded as some other men approached and started talking with him and Dorian. One of the men handed him another drink which he decided to sip on this time. He thought it tasted kind of funny but he found that it was making him feel less anxious. They talked and laughed for a few minutes about the festival and asked Link about his fighting styles. Link noticed that it became progressively easier to talk to them as the conversation went on. He talked a little more about his training to become a knight, what he could remember, but then the conversation turned to Zelda. Link stiffened at the mention of her.

"Looks like she's getting along just fine," one of the men gestured behind the group to the lady in question. Link looked over and saw that she was deep in conversation with Robbie's son, Granté.

The men continued their conversation as Link watched the pair. She was laughing heartily at something as Granté went on, gesturing wildly. He felt a pang of jealousy, wishing he could make her laugh like that. She looked the happiest he'd seen her since rescuing her from the castle. He wanted to make her happy but whenever he tried, she got angry or sad. He didn't know what to do. He wished he could make her as happy as Granté did, at this moment. She deserved better than him.

"Oi! You listening, Link?" Link snapped out of his thoughts as Dorian patted him on the back.

"Maybe gave you too much to drink, eh?" Dorian asked, concern on his face.

Link shook his head and brought his attention back to the group. He laughed nervously and brought his hand behind his head. The men patted him on the back some more and continued the conversation. Link snuck a look back to Zelda to find Granté standing up and extending his hand to her. He watched as Zelda hesitantly took it and they proceeded to join the dancing villagers.

He looked on and Dorian noticed his silence, following his gaze to the dancing pair. He hummed in acknowledgment once he realized what he was looking at and watched him closely.

Zelda took Granté's hand as he rushed them to the dance floor, her laughing nervously. As they passed through the crowd, she spotted Link with a group of Sheikah men, eyeing her and her new companion. Once they made eye contact he looked away quickly and continued conversing with the group.

Her smile faltered upon having Link avoid her gaze as she then focused on her new dance partner. The pair came into step with the current dance and flowed in time with the music. The dance wasn't a particularly fast one, and she found Granté was pretty light on his feet—something she hadn't expected.

"You're pretty good," Zelda praised, as he twirled her in and out of his arms.

Granté smiled. "That's quite a compliment coming from you, Princess."

"Please, I told you to call me Zelda," She chastised.

"Hmm, but I like Princess so much more," he teased.

She blushed.

He continued, "You probably know all the dances."

Zelda laughed. "Yes, I was taught of a lot of dances, but only practiced the formal ones." She ended with a bit of bitterness in her voice.

"That's a shame because you're really quite good." Granté smiled. It was his turn to compliment her.

"This is a basic waltz, so nothing to be too impressed about," Zelda said sadly.

"Hey don't downplay your skills," Granté scolded playfully. "You're also downplaying mine," he added with a smirk.

She smiled sheepishly and bowed her head, "I'm sorry, you're right. I shan't do it again."

The rest of the dance went on without a hitch, both of them conversing back and forth throughout.

The song ended and the pair bowed to each other in thanks. Granté muttered something about grabbing some refreshments as Zelda mingled with the crowd.

She danced a couple of more less intimate songs with various people including Paya and the shop girl. She was enjoying herself thoroughly. She hadn't felt this free in a long time and she was really relishing in it. All throughout her life she was constantly watched and judged and told what to do and how to act. And then once she was of age to start training to harness her powers, she became even more constrained.

Her life was always dictated by others and never by herself. Now she was getting a chance to choose for herself and live a life of her own volition. She loved every second of it.

She plopped down into a chair laughing and panting. She sat resting in the chair for a minute with a drink in her hand, catching her breath.

_Now if only Link were having as much fun as I was..._

She sipped on her drink as she looked around, discreetly. She knew how much her former knight didn't like crowds. Though that might have changed since she had seen him during the course of her dances chatting with the group of Sheikah men. But now he was nowhere to be found.

She sighed and looked to the cup in her lap, disappointment settling in. She had kind of hoped she'd get to spend some time with him today but it was getting late. She was starting to think that maybe he had left when someone approached behind her.

"Zelda."

She turned around, looking up, her eyes wide. Link was standing before her, hands in fists at his sides. He was wearing a loose-fitting Hylian tunic that cuffed at his elbows. She noted that the top collar wasn't tied and loosely hung, slightly revealing his sharp bone structure underneath. She'd noticed his outfit before but he hadn't been this close.

"Link," she breathed.

Realizing she was staring, she blushed deeply and averted her eyes while Link held out a hand to her. She looked up at him again in surprise.

"Would you care to dance?"

Her breath hitched in her throat. Her mind was reeling. They had only danced once before at the formal event of his Champion's ceremony. They thought it would look good in front of the royal court and the leaders of the four races. It was terribly awkward as Zelda had still been indifferent to him and he was not speaking to her. They danced in silence and at arm's length. The music was slow and the song felt like it lasted forever. Once it was over Zelda swore she would never dance with him again.

And now here she was, 100 years later, desperately yearning to dance with him. Oh, how times had changed.

She nodded slowly, her face as red as a hearty radish, and placed her hand in his. He smiled softly, squeezing her hand gently, and led her to the dance floor.

The music started as the pair clasped hands, Link's other hand on her waist and Zelda's on his shoulder. They didn't speak as they swayed to the music, which got progressively faster. There were a good amount of people now joining them on the dance floor as the music picked up the tempo.

It occurred to Zelda what kind of dance this was as the scene unfolded. She hadn't danced like this before—the others before it had been somewhat tame but this was only something she'd heard of and not yet seen.

This dance had very little structure and involved breaking apart pairs, clapping hands, clasping others' hands, and in general, moving about freely without much constraint.

This was a village dance. She had only heard of it, growing up in the castle. And since the beginning of the festival, she had thought she'd seen it once, but there weren't enough people present to get it to the enormity that it was, now.

She relented as she and Link suddenly broke apart, and danced about with other partners. He was smiling and laughing like she'd never seen before. She was surprised at how easy he made the dance seem. She never took him for a dancer—especially not one who danced with multiple other people—but he looked like a pro. He was incredible. And she hadn't seen him smile so much as he was doing, now. She watched him while going through the motions as he met up with Paya who in turned blushed furiously at his approach. Even though she felt jealousy in that moment, she smiled and laughed probably fuller and heartier than she ever had before. She threw her head back as she weaved in an out of crowds, touching hands, shoulders, waists, and clapping in time with the music.

Her and Link met up again at a crescendo in the music and he grabbed a hold of her waist and spun her around, laughing wildly. He pulled her in close as the music reached its peak and Zelda could feel his breath on her face. She flushed as time seemed to still, and it seemed as though it was just the two of them, in this moment. The music pounded in her ears and they swayed back and forth, still close together, only to part again as the music went back to its original tempo.

Time went back to its original pace as she clapped and went through the motions again, running into Granté and dancing with him for a bit before being pulled away by the flow of the music. She passed Paya who laughed with her and some other familiar faces, as well as unfamiliar ones. She moved on, clasping hands with friends and strangers alike, starting to feel dizzy from all the spinning and twirling and moving.

As the music reached its end, she spun away from another partner only to be stopped and dipped by someone as the music ended.

Her eyes widened as she stared into the eyes of her former knight who had caught her at the last second. She was holding onto his forearms as he lifted her up to a normal standing position. They both stared at each other panting as the crowd around them erupted into applause.

Link was the first to let go as he smiled at her and stepped back, giving her some space. She smiled back and applauded with the crowd, thanking the musicians.

Just as she was about to turn back around, Link was close to her again, his hand on her upper back.

"I want to show you something," he said, his voice raspy from the merriment.

She turned to him and blushed, nodding. He held out his hand again and she took it, and he proceeded to weave them through the crowd.

He led her out of the main area and towards the front of the town. Zelda breathed a sigh of relief as she was engulfed in quiet, hearing sounds the of nature around her. The chatter from the dance floor died down as they got further and further away.

As they got to the foot of an uphill path, Link let go of her hand, much to her disappointment. He continued in front of her, looking back occasionally to make sure she was following.

They passed a turn in the mountain and Zelda could see where he was leading her to. She gasped as she hurried to approach the illuminated shrine.

"Oh, it's beautiful!" Zelda said, her eyes lit up in wonder.

It seemed to be emanating a low hum as she approached. She touched the spot where the Sheikah slate activated it, and looked back at Link, smiling widely.

"Can we go in?"

He smiled back at her but shook his head.

"Why not?" Zelda pouted.

He walked up to her and held out his hand again.

"It's not what I wanted to show you," He said. Zelda still seemed unconvinced and he added, "I can show it to you tomorrow, but this can't wait."

She sighed and looked back to the shrine in longing.

"Alright, fine," she relented with a smile and took his hand.

He led her away from the shrine and into the woods adjacent, as the light illuminating the shrine faded.

They walked into a small clearing as some small lit creatures came into view. Her eyes widened when she realized what they were—fairies.

Link had her stop still when he noticed them and gestured for her to wait there. She nodded in understanding as he crept away and into the shrubbery. A fairy passed by her as she held up her hand and grazed it. A few more came up to her and she held out her finger for one to perch on top of, its wings fluttering slowly. She watched the other fairies encircle her as she stopped to marvel at the scenery before her. The fairies had illuminated the area and she could see fireflies sprouting from the darkness in the distance. The whole scene was...divine. It almost brought tears to her eyes.

Suddenly Link came out of the shrubbery, cradling something in his arms. The fairies parted, though not going too far, as Zelda looked on at what Link brought back.

He smiled at her as he lifted one of his arms slightly to reveal a glowing rabbit. Zelda gasped softly at its presence.

"This is what I wanted to show you that time," he said softly, looking down at the creature.

"It's..." Zelda started.

"A Blupee," Link finished. "They're very rare, and hard to catch."

The poor rabbit was shaking a bit at the sudden invasion of its space and was currently face down in the crook of Link's elbow.

"If you shoot at them, they drop Rupee's," Link explained. Zelda shot him a look and he smiled nervously and shrugged.

Zelda turned her attention back to the glowing creature and pet it softly. The rabbit flinched at her touch but as she continued, it poked its head out and sniffed cautiously at the air. Zelda giggled at its curiosity and just as it looked like the rabbit was getting more comfortable, it leaped out of Link's arms and scurried back into the shrubbery.

"Oh!" Zelda gasped. "There he goes," she said with a giggle.

Link chuckled as they stared down the path the Blupee ran through only to lay eyes upon a glowing fixture at the end surrounded by all types of flora and fauna.

Link looked back at Zelda and smiled, gesturing for her to follow him to the end. Zelda tilted her head in confusion.

"Last thing, I promise." Link laughed as he swept away the overgrowth and stepped into the clearing.

Zelda hesitated and offered her hand as she stepped through and cautiously approached the massive glowing plant.

It was like a giant overgrown flower that had sprouted, leaving a pool of water at the center. Zelda stared down into it with wonder as her scientific mind swirled at what she could discover by studying it.

Suddenly, a booming voice was heard from underneath and Link gently pulled Zelda back from the pool of water as a giant creature emerged from below.

"I was wondering when I'd see you again, boy." The Great Fairy Cortera cooed as Link laughed nervously, a hand behind his head.

"Oh!" She looked towards Zelda who stood, frozen in shock. "What do we have here? You have a young Lady with you..." Cortera leaned forward as she examined Zelda who matched her stare, now just as curious of the creature.

"Hmm...and it's the Princess of Hyrule no less," she leaned back into her usual position and grinned.

"You're a Great Fairy!" Zelda finally exclaimed.

"Yes I am, dear," Cortera responded as she looked at the Princess in amusement.

"I've heard myths and legends but I've never seen one of your kind in person!" Zelda prattled on, surveying her dwelling in excitement.

"Why you're quite the curious one, aren't you?" Cortera hummed as she eyed Link who watched the excited girl fondly.

The Great Fairy's eyes widened in understanding and she grinned.

"Alright boy," Cortera started, getting the attention of the thoroughly distracted Zelda.

"I see that twinkle in your eyes. You're here for a reason."

Link nodded, glancing at Zelda briefly.

"You need something enhanced?" The Great Fairy questioned, surprised.

Zelda watched as Link pulled out something from his pocket and handed it out to her.

_Enhanced?_ Zelda thought.

Link gestured for the Fairy to lean in and he whispered something in her ear. She smiled and nodded in understanding. Zelda tilted her head in confusion, not following.

"Alright boy, you know how this goes," Cortera warned as Link stood tall and she kissed her finger and brought it to Link's hand. A beam of light appeared where the item was in his hand as the Fairy touched it.

Zelda blushed and wondered what the Hylia they were doing. She had seen parts of Link's journey but she honestly didn't know what mischief he'd gotten into.

The Fairy stepped back and surveyed her work. "Anything else?"

Link shook his head and bowed, thanking her for her service.

Cortera smiled at him then turned her attention to Zelda.

"You did well, Princess. Farewell~" The Fairy then dived back into her seemingly endless pool of water and the world started moving again.

Zelda blinked in astonishment as she muttered an 'Incredible' and continued staring at the pool, below.

Link approached her side and Zelda stood up straight, a billion questions ready to roll off her tongue.

"That was...amazing! What is that? What did she do?"

Link chuckled and stepped closer, holding out his hand.

Zelda looked down at it.

"A ribbon?" She looked back at him for confirmation.

He nodded and looked at her. "For you."

She blushed. He continued, fiddling with the delicate piece of fabric.

"She enchanted it. It's for protection." He lifted the ribbon up and gestured to her.

"May I?"

She blushed deeper and nodded, her eyes wide. Link proceeded to tie the ribbon into her braid, above her ear.

"It'll protect you—," He went on, finishing the tie off. One hand dropped to his side while the other stayed. His fingers lingered on the ribbon and he slowly ran his hand down to the end of it.

"—when I can't."

He then gripped the end of the ribbon and slowly lifted it to his lips, kissing it softly.

Zelda's heart hammered in her chest. Everything seemed to slow down again. Her hearing focused on the sounds around her. The sound of crickets chirping and frogs croaking. The sound of a river flowing. She could faintly hear the festival music down below.

She wanted to live in this moment forever. Just her and her former knight—no royal titles, no people to impress, no roles to fulfill. Just them. Link and Zelda.

She sighed as she closed her eyes, tears welling up behind her eyelids. She brought up her hand and gently placed it around Link's wrist. She tilted her head slightly as their foreheads touched. She slid her hand up and gently gripped his as he let go of her ribbon.

They sat like that for a moment before Zelda pulled away gently and opened her eyes, tears now falling freely.

He looked back at her and smiled warmly. She stifled a gasp. He had never looked at her that way before. His eyes were twinkling and the glow from the Fairy Fountain illuminated his facial features. He was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. He was the light.

And she was completely and utterly in love with him.

At this realization, she smiled as more tears streamed down her face. She hadn't been blind to the feelings. She'd be lying if she admitted they weren't always there. She'd always acknowledged, to herself, how handsome he'd been. She'd often steal glances at him when they crossed paths in the castle when he was off-duty. Her heart would soar when she'd eat her favorite dish and learn it was prepared by him. And she'd even been jealous of his closeness with Mipha.

_Mipha_.

The name hit her like a rock. Happy tears turned to mournful ones as she gently brought Link's hand down and let go of it.

He stood with a concerned expression on his face as he noticed her sudden change of mood.

Her love for Link had almost gotten in the way of the most important thing to her right at that moment. She had nearly forgotten.

She had failed everyone.

Her family, her friends, her people. She failed them all. And she had failed _him_. She wasn't deserving of love. At least not yet, and if ever. Not from him.

She knew Mipha had feelings for Link. She knew this. And she didn't know if he reciprocated them but she knew with certainty he had loved her. At least in a different way. Even if he couldn't remember much of their relationship, she was the one that ended Mipha's life. It was because of her. Because she wasn't strong enough. She ended whatever future they could have had together. She obliterated it.

She needed to atone. She couldn't move on from what she had done. She needed to face it head-on. She was tired of the false-bravado and the way people treated her like a savior. It was a lie. It was all a lie. She didn't _do_ anything. She just sat in the castle and waited to be saved. Waited to be saved by the Hero who didn't deserve someone like her.

A failure.

He deserved better.

So she let go of Link's hand and smiled at him through her tears. She let go of the possibility of his love and the idea of happiness.

"I'm sorry, Link."

_I'm so sorry._

She let go of _him_.

* * *

**A/N:** lol sorry not sorry for ending on a sad note. but boy this took forever to write sorry! i just wanted to pop in and say a few things.

first off, thank you to everyone who's reviewed so far! i really appreciate it! it keeps me going and holds me accountable, tbh... 3

second, i had a few things that inspired and influenced a lot of things in this chapter but i won't state them all! points to people who get where i pulled the ribbon scene from...

i had the dance idea before i started this fic and i had debated putting it in for awhile but i managed! the idea popped into my head when i was listening to "high hopes" by panic! at the disco one day, believe it or not. obviously, that's not the kind of music they were actually dancing to but that's where that idea came from. also for reference, the dances i had envisioned them doing were a mixture of the kingdom dance from tangled, and the first dance at the ball from pride and prejudice (2005)! so if any of you have seen those films then i hope you can get a grasp on what i had imagined!

third, i still very much continue to work on this fic but seeing as how long this chapter turned out, please don't expect me to dish out these babies right away! they are coming though, so if you enjoy it, please go ahead and follow or favorite or save it in a tab, whatever! :)

thanks again so much and i'll see u next update~


	3. zora's domain

Link walked in front of Zelda as they descended the hill from the Fairy Fountain. The glow from the shine illuminated their backs as they walked down in silence.

Link hadn't said a word since she apologized. She thanked him for the ribbon and started to make her way back down only to realize that it was now pitch dark and they hadn't brought any light source with them. Link then proceeded to lead the way down and now here they were.

She wanted to know what he was thinking but at the same time she didn't. She had hurt him again and she knew it. But she had made her resolve and she was going to stick to it.

She watched his back as they walked—she still wasn't used to him leading her but that was probably for the best right now. She didn't know if she could take his piercing stare.

As they got to the gate signaling the beginning of the village, Link looked back at her to make sure she was still following. She stiffened at his sudden gaze and winced as she detected the sadness and uncertainty in his eyes. She started to say something but stopped as Link had turned back around just as suddenly as he did before.

They passed a few people still mingling about and cleaning up as the festivities had already ended. They reached the foot of Impa's house and Link stopped and looked back at her a second time.

"You should probably get to bed," Link said, a stoic look now plastered on his face. Zelda hesitated, fiddling with her sleeves.

"What about you?"

"I'm gonna help clean up," he said, looking out at the post-festival wreckage.

Zelda's brows furrowed. "I can help, too."

Link shook his head as his gaze shifted to her once more.

"You've had a long day."

She winced at this again and was about to protest but he added, "Besides, you've been limping." He gestured to her feet. "You should probably get out of those shoes."

She looked down and raised her left ankle so she could see it. Sure enough, there was a good-sized blister on her heel. She could feel one growing on the other foot as well. She sighed and nodded, putting her foot down and heading up the stairs. She got up a few steps and looked back to find Link already gone.

* * *

Link helped clean up until the early morning. It wasn't until the sun rays hit his face did he realize he'd been going nonstop for more than a few hours. He picked up a few remaining pieces of trash and threw them in a bin, wiping the accrued sweat off his forehead. He stood up straight and looked around.

The others who had remained in helping the cleanup were now littered among the village, sleeping next to trees or on tables. Most people had gone home but some, like him, were determined to finish their work. Even if it meant overexhaustion. That was something Link was used to, but he knew the real reason he hadn't stopped.

He needed the distraction.

Even if he had stopped to try to sleep, he knew he wouldn't have been able to shut his mind off after what had happened. And even with the distracted effort of mindless tasks, his mind was still reeling. He didn't know what happened or what went wrong.

His brows furrowed as he contemplated some more, taking a seat on a nearby tree stump. He thought he had done everything right. He wasn't pushy, he didn't coerce her to talk about anything, and he avoided talking about anything having to do with the Calamity or her in general. He had no idea how to act around her. He was clueless when it came to her.

He had gone too far.

He didn't know why, but he did. He must have. That's why she pushed him away. That was the only logical explanation that he could think of.

He sighed and leaned over, putting his head in his hands.

From what he could remember, she had always confided in him. Well maybe not at first, but eventually she expressed all of her worries and woes to him, and he would listen. He knew she blamed herself for Hyrule's downfall, she had told him so before she trapped herself in the castle. The thing she had feared the most for her entire life had happened. He knew that because she had told him.

So why were things different now? Why did she hide her feelings from him?

She was traumatized. She was dealing with something no one should ever confront. Her time in the castle holding off Ganon had changed her, had changed the way she thought about things, and the way she thought about herself. She was trapped in there for 100 years, fighting off the epitome of evil.

Link berated himself. He knew all of this. He expected her to be affected by it. But she was strong. She'd always been strong. After all, she had held back the Calamity for so long.

He never could have expected she'd come out of it so broken. And here he was, putting her on a pedestal.

She was just a girl.

He grit his teeth as he tightened his grip on his head, pulling at his hair.

How could I have not realized sooner?

His body shook as he bore his palms into his eyes, refusing the tears that were forming behind them to slip out. They were just kids. Neither of them deserved any of this.

"Link?"

Link stopped abruptly, not daring to look up in fear of letting the young girl before him see his vulnerable state. Koko stood before him, tilting her head down to make eye contact. He briefly wondered what she was doing out there to remember that it was already past sunrise now, and well into the early morning.

"Are you ok?" She asked, her brows furrowed.

With his head still lowered, he gently pulled his hands away wiping all evidence of grief from his face. He sniffed and nodded in response.

She frowned. "Koko can tell when you are lying. And you are most definitely lying."

Link managed a weak smile and shrugged, finally looking her in the eyes. Her gaze softened as she laid eyes on his stricken expression.

"Did something happen? With...Zelda?" She asked slowly, again tilting her head.

Link sighed and sniffed, smiling at her once more.

"It's...complicated," Link started.

"It shouldn't be!" Koko suddenly cried, taking Link by surprise. "You love her, right? Then that's all there is!"

Link winced, "Koko, it's not that simple…" he replied, his voice hoarse.

"Yes! It is!" She continued, her face reddening. "Love can fix everything! It can!"

"I'm trying…" Link began.

"Then try harder!" Koko was sobbing now, unable to contain her hurt and rage.

Link's eyes softened at seeing the troubled girl. He hung his head, ashamed. He was ashamed of himself, ashamed of the situation he was in. Ashamed of disappointing a young girl.

"Love brought mama to papa when he was struggling. And it helped mama when she was angry at papa." She sniffled. "And even though she's gone now, I know our love is still helping her, wherever she is," she finished, her hands wiping at her tears.

Link stared at her, his brows furrowed in thought. Even though she was angry with him, he knew she was just trying to help.

"Do you really love her?" She asked, her eyes still shining from the tears. But her face was full of resolve.

"Yes."

"Then try harder."

Link's eyes widened then he chuckled sadly after a few moments, in utter disbelief at the child. She was right. He couldn't give up. He needed to stop dwelling on the past and berating himself for trying. Even if he kept failing, he wouldn't give up. Zelda needed him. Even if she kept pushing him away. And he would be there for her.

He looked at Koko who flushed suddenly and looked away. Admiration for her swelled up inside him. How could a child so young know how to approach such complicated matters? She simplified it for him. Because she cared so much. He didn't know why she did, but he appreciated it, nonetheless.

He stood up slowly from his spot on the stump, putting his hands on his knees to steady himself.

"Thank you, Koko." He smiled down at her and patted her head. She looked up at him and nodded, as Link then started towards Impa's house.

* * *

Zelda woke to the early morning cucco calls and to the sweet smell of breakfast. She opened her eyes in pure bliss after a good night's rest, the sun shining in beautifully through the creaks in the old house. She sighed, relishing in the peaceful serenity for a moment, only to have the moment crash and burn as memories from the night before came flooding back to her. She frowned and put her arm across her face trying to block out the forming thoughts of Link's hurt disposition.

She got up slowly and inspected her heels to find that the blisters had gone down nicely, and reminded herself to wear her comfortable shoes from now on.

Not too long after she got ready, Paya came up the stairs with breakfast in tow.

"Good morning, Z-Zelda," Paya greeted sheepishly as she set the tray of food gently on her desk. "I h-hope you slept well."

Zelda hesitated, already in a course mood from the night before, which was brought on further by Paya bringing her food up to her when she could have very well done so herself. But she held her tongue and feigned a smile.

"I slept very well, thank you."

Paya's smile faltered a little as she hesitated, sensing Zelda's unease, as hard as she was trying to hide it. But she thought better of it and didn't pry any further.

"That's good to hear," Paya responded, adding worriedly, "Master Link didn't c-come back last night, so I'm going to l-look for him and make sure he's a-alright." She had a light blush on her cheeks speaking about Link, but her brows were furrowed in worry.

Zelda's stomach lurched at the mention of Link and she grew especially sour upon hearing he didn't come back inside after what happened last night. She wasn't particularly worried about his safety since she knew he could handle himself, but she became increasingly more concerned with how he was emotionally after the events of last night. She sighed as she nodded and sent Paya on her way, thinking that he would probably be better off not seeing her right away. It was her fault he was upset, after all.

She can do more for him right now than I can, anyways. She thought sadly.

* * *

Link almost ran into Paya on his way inside Impa's and Paya fretted over him, as much as her nervousness would allow, seeing as he was a little worse for wear being out all night.

"Thank you Paya, but I'm fine, really." He said albeit tiredly, though staying up all night was something he certainly was used to.

"M-M-Master Link! You must be ever so tired! A-And hungry! Lay down and I'll bring you s-something to eat." Paya continued and shot Link a look as he was about to protest again, silencing him immediately.

Link sighed and sat down on the edge of his makeshift bed whilst Paya busied herself outside.

"You look troubled," Impa's voice suddenly broke the silence as Link's head shot up to look at her. She always surprised him. He wondered silently how many things she's heard whilst pretending to be asleep.

Link bowed his head, his eyes heavy with emotion. He then turned his head slowly to Paya's room where he could hear Zelda moving about.

"You must be patient with her," Impa sighed as she closed her eyes once again. "She's as delicate as a flower, though she does not appear to be so."

Link swallowed and nodded, his mind still reeling of the events from the night before.

"This journey will be difficult, much like your last," Impa continued, "it is a journey of grieving, healing, understanding."

Link brought his gaze to her once more as she locked eyes with him.

"But most of all, it's a journey of love."

Link nodded and chuckled almost sadistically and probably a little deliriously due to the lack of sleep. It seemed everyone was giving him love advice.

"You know this, I know," Impa continued more seriously, "there will be trials and tribulations to overcome, but the princess needs this. And she needs you, most of all. You must not give up on her."

"I've come this far, haven't I?" Link chided, a small smile on his face. Yup, he was definitely delirious.

Impa chuckled at his unlikely response and shook her head. "Get some rest, child. You've done enough for today. And you're going to need it."

Link yawned and nodded again, positioning himself comfortably on the bed before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

After finally gathering up enough courage, Zelda headed downstairs to find Impa and Paya talking quietly to each other over breakfast. As she reached the bottom of the stairs she looked over to find Link snoring softly in his makeshift bed. Her heart sunk at the sight of him as she turned away and swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Hello child," Impa greeted as Zelda sat down on her knees to join them.

"How is he?" She half turned, gesturing to the sleeping knight behind her but not fully looking at him.

Paya smiled sadly at the sleeping knight, "H-He's fine, just needs some rest. He spent the whole night c-cleaning from the festivities. He d-didn't eat his breakfast either s-so I packed it for him." She gazed at him for a minute before going back to picking slowly at her plate.

Zelda looked down at her hands as Impa's gazed at her softly.

"I don't deserve him," Zelda whispered, just barely audible to the two Sheikah women before her. Impa's eyes narrowed.

"What was that p-pri, I mean Zelda!" Paya shouted in embarrassment, her hands flying up to her face.

Zelda's head shot up and she smiled sadly and stood up. "It's nothing, I'd better get ready for our departure." She bowed and took her leave, passing Link's sleeping form quickly and rushing back up the stairs.

Paya looked at her bewildered, then started to stand up intent on going after her.

"Leave her be." Impa said gently, lifting a hand. Then she added, "May Hylia watch over her."

* * *

Link stood at the foot of Impa's house as Zelda said her goodbyes to Impa and Paya. He pet his horse gently as he gazed up dimly at the sky. The weather was good—for now. They were to make their way to Zora Domain hopefully before nightfall but there were many obstacles that could potentially delay those plans. Link tried to focus on his battle strategies if they were to encounter enemies along the way. Things were different now that Zelda was with him. The fight before with the two Yiga members had made him realize that. He hadn't been prepared enough to protect her. He was still getting used to having her around after a long time being alone.

And then there was the molduga in the room…

Link shook his head as he tried not to recall the events of the night before, for what was probably the hundredth time that day. He needed to stay focused. This wasn't like him, letting his emotions get the better of him. He especially couldn't let them distract him from doing his duty.

He turned his attention back to the woman in question as she descended the stairs. Their eyes met for a brief moment before Link pulled his gaze away. Zelda frowned.

As she reached the bottom neither of them said a word as Link helped her up to her horse. He handed her the pack that Paya had prepared for her without a glance as he then mounted his own horse and led the way.

Zelda couldn't hide her sadness as she watched Link's back. She would have to accept that things were going to be like this from now on.

* * *

Just as Link had feared a storm had come out of nowhere and had started soaking them to the bone. They rushed out of the rain to a nearby plot of trees as they rested there to wait out the storm.

Zelda fussed with her Sheikah slate sitting underneath one of the trees as she glanced at Link every so often. He was performing his usual training regiment with the Master Sword as she had seen him do many times before. She sighed. They still hadn't said a word to each other. It was almost like they had reverted back to when they first met and she resented him. He had been silent due to the weight of his responsibilities and she was at constant war with herself over her lack of powers.

She gazed at Link for a long moment this time as she suddenly remembered a scene just like this before the calamity. She had confided in him then of the pressure she was under and her desire to escape it. Tears formed in her eyes at the stark contrast to how she felt now as she quickly wiped at her face in an effort to be rid of them.

Link took notice in her sudden rapid movement as he stopped and gazed at her worriedly. She paid him no attention as she went straight back to fiddling with the Sheikah Slate.

"I forgot." Link said suddenly, after a few minutes of silence.

Zelda's head shot up in surprise. "Forgot what?" Her heart suddenly in her throat.

"The shrine." Link said, his head bowed.

Zelda pursed her lips as her shoulders sagged. Oh.

"It's quite alright," she sighed and went back to the slate, "I'm sure we'll find plenty others on our journey."

Link hesitated a moment, then nodded in response and went back to his exercises. He would show her the inside of a shrine. He would make her smile again.

* * *

The storm passed after an hour and the two were back on their horses. They made their way through the pass in silence, making a few stops along the way as Zelda wanted to inspect the wildlife. Link noted how she seemed less enthused about it as before, but thought it was good that she was still interested.

As they approached the bridge, Link got off his horse and proceeded to walk it the rest of the way. He looked back as he noticed Zelda had stopped a couple feet behind him as well and was marveling at the scenery.

Zelda's eyes had glazed over and her lips parted leaving her mouth slightly open in awe. Her eyebrows were furrowed in a wistful sadness as she recalled the last time she was here.

She was broken out of her daze as a few Zora guards hailed them and started to approach. She watched as Link greeted them with a wave as he continued to lead his horse towards them. Zelda suddenly felt apprehensive as she followed him into the looming domain.

* * *

As the pair walked towards the center of Zora Domain, Zelda noticed the stark contrast between the crowd of people watching them was to Kakariko. There, adults and children alike had swarmed them in greeting and in thanks, whereas here people seemed apprehensive and kept their distance. A few Zora waved at them as they made their way, and Zelda noticed how children seemed to flock to Link just as before in Kakariko. The thought warmed her heart and made her sad at the same time.

As the pair approached the center, a big red Zora bounded up to Link and embraced him, lifting him clear off the ground. Link laughed sheepishly as him and Sidon shared a brief exchange and the massive Zora let him down.

Link looked back to reintroduce Zelda, but his smile faltered as his eyes followed her gaze.

She had completely missed the exchange once her eyes had found their target. They were locked on to the centerpiece of the square, right in the heart of Zora Domain.

Mipha's statue.

She had gotten off her horse and was slowly approaching the ginormous memorial. Everyone's eyes were on her now as she stopped at the foot of her fallen friend, the Zora Champion. One of the Zora elders muttered something underneath their breath and Link shot them a glare that could kill. If Zelda took notice, Link couldn't tell.

With trembling hands, she apprehensively touched the statue as tears she had been holding back flowed freely from her eyes and she bowed her head. The statue was cold and damp from the mist of the waterfalls.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered as she sobbed silently, her other hand cupping her mouth in grief. "It's all my fault."

Sidon stared on in shared grief, his eyes glazed over.

As Link started to approach Zelda she quickly composed herself and stared up at the statue once more, tears trickling down her flushed cheeks. Her eyebrows were contorted in pain.

"Princess Zelda," Sidon broke the silence as Zelda shifted her attention to him, a somber expression on her face. "My father would like to see you," Sidon finished with a small smile on his face as he gestured her to follow him.

They did not speak of Mipha as Sidon led them to the Zora king. Link followed behind, watching Zelda closely. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?" Sidon hummed as he walked slowly next to Zelda. It was clear his stride could be longer but he kept the Hylian's pace out of courtesy.

Zelda almost laughed at his attempt at small talk. She knew how hard and awkward this was for every party involved but at the same time she was grateful to the Zora prince for showing her some semblance of kindness. Whether it was deserved or not, she didn't know.

"Yes, you've grown quite big since I saw you last," Zelda said softly managing a small smile.

"Oh!" Sidon gasped in surprise, "I wasn't sure you'd recognize me," he said sheepishly, rubbing his head.

"What gave it away?"

Zelda had her answer on her lips but stopped abruptly as she caught sight of the Zora king and his massive throne. She let the conversation die as they walked the rest of the way in silence. Luckily, Sidon didn't press further.

Her eyes were low as she approached, her hands in front of her. Link noticed how she began lightly wringing them as the King began to speak.

"Princess Zelda," the Zora King's voice boomed throughout the area, "thank you for coming all this way. I am glad to see you are well."

Zelda nodded, her eyes downcast.

"You come all this way, and you can't even face the King?! The audacity!" The King's attendant Muzu shrilled. The other elders that had surrounded them nodded and murmured in agreement.

"Muzu!" The King scolded, then turned his attention back to Zelda. "It's quite alright. You've been through quite the ordeal, haven't you?" He said sadly.

Zelda nodded once more. "Yes."

"I'm so sorry you had to go through such peril…" the Zora King began.

"No!" Zelda shouted suddenly, her hands at her sides now, balled into fists. Now everyone was looking at her in surprise, Muzu a look of disdain on his face.

Link took a step forward, unsure of what to do.

"I'm the one," Zelda started as her fists trembled beside her, a scowl ever present on her usually graceful features.

"I'm the one who is sorry." She said quietly, as she then proceeded to do something she never thought she'd do in all of her time as princess and heir to Hyrule. She got down on her hands and knees and bowed formally to the Zora King. It was wet and cold on the floor, and Zelda was extremely uncomfortable, but she endured, for it was she who deserved such a fate.

The King looked on, a sorrowful expression on his face. "Now child," he began.

Zelda continued, "It's my fault. It's all my fault."

"She was my friend," she relented, sobbing into the ground. "And I let her die."

Link approached slowly and knelt down beside her as she shook her head.

"Why did I get to live and she didn't? The other champions too?" She was shaking now, her anger and resentment towards herself that was pent up now flowing out of her. Her tears merging into the already wet floor beneath her.

"I should've died with them," She whispered. Link's eyes widened.

"That's quite enough!" The King boomed, breaking Zelda out of her despair. The crowd murmured once again.

"It is true, we loved Mipha with everything we had," he began, his voice heavy with emotion, "she was my only daughter, and the very heart of Zora Domain."

She looked up at him then.

"Then why…?" Zelda began, "Why do you feel such empathy for the one who took her life?"

The King laughed, much to Zelda's surprise. "My dear girl, you didn't take Mipha from us. That was Calamity Ganon's doing."

Zelda turned her eyes to the ground once again, "But if I had been able to harness my powers earlier…"

"You were just a child," the King interjected. "You still are."

Zelda looked back up at the mighty Zora King as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"It is okay to grieve for her and the other champions," his eyes softened, "But please, do not blame yourself."

Zelda sniffled as she began to stand up, only to stumble as Link caught her.

"Mipha and the other champions made a choice. They stood by you because they believed in you. And even though it was too late for them, you still prevailed." The King smiled down at her then, "You still saved us all."

As Link helped her up fully she stared up at the King in disbelief at his forgiveness.

"I—," she began, only to be enveloped in darkness as she succumbed to exhaustion. Luckily Link was able to catch her before she slumped to the ground again.

"Princess!" Sidon leapt to action. He ran up to Link in two great strides and called for a medic to come examine the fainted princess.

"I'm sure she's exhausted." King Dorephan boomed, though his voice held compassion. "Take her to our guest room, we'll ensure she'll receive proper care. We can continue our conversation once she is well."

Link bowed in thanks as he rushed after Sidon and the medics who had taken the princess into their hands and whisked her off to bed.

* * *

Zelda roused from sleep in a daze as she stared up at an unfamiliar ceiling. She slowly sat upright putting a hand to her head as she gauged her temperature. She was hot and her head hurt. She was also a little dizzy once she got to a sitting position. She looked around the room, her eyes squinting as they adjusted to the dark. She found a window to further her suspicions: it was night time.

She was laying in a Hylian bed in a small room with high ceilings. She recognized it as one of the few suites the Zora reserved for Hylian guests. Though she had never stayed in one herself, she remembered Mipha giving her the grand tour and taking a peek inside one of these rooms.

Her gaze shifted downward as she stared at her hands, recalling the events of the day. She knew she was not to blame for the deaths of the ones lost to the calamity. But she blamed herself anyway. She had been burdened with the task of protecting everyone with her goddess-given powers since her birth. And once she could not rouse them in time, she enlisted the help of her friends from the 4 races. Their lives were her responsibility. And she failed them. She couldn't help but hone in on how she could've done things differently, that she also dealt with survivors guilt. She constantly wondered why she was spared while her friends weren't. She also felt great shame in presenting herself and her feelings to King Dorephan in such an unruly manner, but they exploded out of her. She couldn't hide them any longer in that moment, and the result had taken a lot out of her. Now she was bedridden with fever but she reluctantly felt a little better.

She thought of Link then. She brought her hands to her head as she wondered time and time again what he thought of all this. He was affected by it as much as she was and she was being quite unfair to him, keeping everything to herself. Though he was no better.

Driven by the sudden desire to see him, Zelda dragged herself out of her bed and stood with much difficulty, steadying herself on the nightstand beside her. She slowly walked to the closed door in front of the bed and leaned on it gently before turning the knob and pulling it open.

The door almost whacked her in the face as it opened as a weight was upon it, but she pulled away quickly resulting in another dizzy spell. As she held her head and steadied herself on the now wide open door she found herself staring down at a disgruntled Link.

He had been leaning on her door sound asleep only to be rudely awakened by someone pulling the door open. Though he had no right to complain for he had made the decision to rest in such an inconvenient place.

Link rubbed his head and looked up at her wide eyed as he got up and composed himself. They stared at each other awkwardly.

Zelda could have almost laughed at their situation. But there were other things weighing on her.

"Link, I—" Zelda began, only to be overcome with exhaustion again as she stumbled into Link's arms.

Link caught her as she tried to steady herself on his forearms while panting heavily. His brows furrowed as he held her waist with one hand and brought his other up to her forehead. He frowned deeply.

"You have a fever."

Zelda winced at the stern tone of his voice but swatted his hand away in defiance.

"I'm perfectly fine," she said groggily as she glared at her companion, while simultaneously fighting with her eyes to keep them open.

Link gave her a look of distrust as he suddenly lifted her up with a "Hup!" and proceeded to carry her bridal style back to bed.

"Link!" Zelda squealed, struggling weakly to get out of his grip, "How dare you! Put me down at once!" She continued swatting at him and pushing him away but to no avail. "I told you, I'm fine!"

He ignored her protests and silently laid her down on the bed as she scooted away from him like a wounded animal. A small, angry one.

He crossed his arms and matched her glare with his stern one. "You need rest."

"I told you," Zelda said breathlessly, trying again to get up, only to be brought down to her elbows by her own weight. She huffed a stray hair out of her face. "I'm fine."

Link shook his head and sighed, turning away to leave.

"Link!" Zelda shouted a little hoarsely, her voice laced with sorrow. She didn't want him to leave.

He turned back to her, unable to avoid her plea.

"Please…" she begged, her hand reaching for him. He took it hesitantly, and walked back to her, kneeling at her side.

"I just wanted to…tell you," she started, now fighting consciousness.

He stared at her intently, listening.

"To tell you…" She swallowed, her eyes opening and closing, her head lolling back.

He gripped her hand in both of his now, as he waited.

"...tell...you…" she let out a sigh as she finally succumbed to sleep and Link watched for a moment longer.

Just as he was about to let go, her grip on his hand tightened.

"I'm...sorry…" she uttered in her sleep, a few tears gracing her slumbering form.

Link's brows furrowed with surprise and concern for the young woman before him. She was broken, he realized now. Even though she had held back Ganon for 100 years, she had been brought to her knees by the weight of it all. But even as he watched her sleeping form, at her complete worst, he knew she was beginning to heal. As much as he hated seeing her like this, he knew it was for the best. He'd rather her open up about her feelings then keep them locked in a cage. Locked in with her heart.

He leaned down and kissed her hand before letting go and walking back towards the entrance to her room. As he looked back, a renewed sense of determination coming over him, he vowed to make her happy again. He would aid her on her road to healing. She would be broken no more.

* * *

For Zelda, the next 2 days passed by in a daze. It turns out, her emotional outburst caused such a strain on her body that it made her ill. She was bedridden and delirious for most of it, only waking to find Link and another Zora attendant tending to her as she rode out her fever.

Meanwhile, Link spent the majority of the 2 days outside Zelda's door pacing, and going in to check on her when the Zora healer went in to check her temperature.

King Dorephan was extremely accommodating and was more than willing to let Zelda and Link stay for a few days while she recovered. He offered Link an extra room to stay in, free of charge, but he politely declined. Sidon came by every once in awhile to keep the former knight company and to make sure he was eating. He inquired about the rest of his journey as well as the details of the last stand with Ganon. It came as a welcome distraction to Link to talk to his enthusiastic friend. He often reassured Link that Zelda would recover physically and even though it would take time, she would recover emotionally as well, with Link's help.

"She really is quite the woman," he'd said to him one afternoon, perched underneath Mipha's statue munching on some snacks. Sidon had convinced Link to take a walk with him claiming that the fresh air would do him good. Link found it hard to slip away from his sick companion but also found it difficult to say no to the insistent Zora prince.

"It's hard to believe she blames herself for what happened," he continued, eyes glazed over, staring out at the landscape. "None of us could have done anything without her. She's quite the hero herself, taking on Calamity Ganon alone, and for 100 years no less! I'd dare say she's even cooler than me!" Sidon flashed Link his signature grin as Link smiled back up at him and nodded. The big guy really knew how to lighten the mood.

The moment was soon gone as Link's gaze went from Sidon's to Mipha's lifeless statue looming above them. Sidon noticed this as Link looked down to his half-eaten apple.

"She's proud of you, you know," Sidon mused.

Link nodded absentmindedly, turning his apple now in his hands.

"It's not my place to ask what your relationship was with her," Sidon went on slowly, "But she'd want you to be happy. Zelda too."

Link's head slowly tilted up at him in cautious question, as if to say, 'What do you mean by that?'

Sidon ignored his stare but Link knew he could tell what expression he was wearing, and continued.

"Hero is a pretty valiant title and all," Sidon hummed, "but King of Hyrule would be even more fantastic," he looked down at his young friend.

"Wouldn't you say?" He flashed his signature grin again, with a hint of playfulness in his eyes.

Link abruptly stood up and stomped over to the edge of the railing overlooking the waters down below.

"Hey!" Sidon laughed as he followed his friend.

He joined his companion's side, who was resting his arms on the railing as they looked off in the distance. Sidon rested his head in his arms as he watched Link furiously devour the rest of his apple and toss it down into the hungry waters below.

Link sighed, watching the apple float above the water for a few seconds to only then succumb to its depths. He mirrored Sidon's pose as the two rested in silence, watching the sun go down.

"I'd want to be King of Hyrule," Sidon murmured after awhile.

Link shot him a glare and Sidon burst out laughing.

"I'm kidding! Well, I'm sort of kidding," he chucked, picking at his face nervously. Link eyed him wearily.

"As a child I always had sort of a crush on Zelda," he started, averting his gaze back to the sunset. "She was so resilient and kind, and extremely outspoken, almost to a fault," He chuckled. Link sighed and nodded, agreeing silently.

"Although I didn't know much of anything back then, I could tell how determined she was, and how much she truly cared for her people," he said softly. "It was those qualities I admired her for." He turned his attention back to Link.

"But I mostly admired her for her kindness and friendship with my sister," he added.

Link looked up then, a surprised yet curious expression on his face.

The Zora prince went on, "Unlike you, the two met much later in their age than you and Mipha. Zelda wasn't allowed to mingle much with other royals, you see, and after banquets and balls, she'd often be sent away to perform her studies and practices." He said sadly. "She was very disciplined and hardly ever experienced a true childhood. You'd think that would turn a person cold," Sidon mused. He then looked down at Link suddenly.

"Yet that wasn't the case for her," he beamed.

"I had never seen her smile until she started her monthly visits the year before the calamity struck," he smiled fondly reliving the memory, "It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. She took everything in stride...even with the looming presence of the Calamity before us, she was able to still smile so radiantly."

He sighed. "And Mipha…"

"Mipha adored her," he looked down sadly. "And she her."

He turned to Link then. "She's not only mourning her comrade in battle, she's mourning her friend."

Link's eyes widened. He knew they had been meeting with each other privately but he didn't know much beyond that. It should've been obvious to him but he truly didn't realize the extent of how close they were.

"She knew of my sister's affection for you, too," Sidon continued, turning back to the now set sun, the lights from the bridge illuminating his face, "And even though she hid her true feelings, she supported her all the same."

A lump formed in Link's throat.

"What...was my relationship with her?" He asked slowly, almost wondering out loud to himself.

Sidon looked down at him sadly, "That I truly do not know. But what I do know is that even though my sister was utterly devoted to you—enough to risk everything—she knew, she knew there was an unbreakable bond between you and Zelda that she could not and would not break."

Link swallowed hard as Sidon ended his tale. They sat in silence for a few moments, staring at the scene before them, so full of life, yet so suffocating at the same time.

"How do you know all this?" Link asked, his voice raspy with emotion.

"I can show you," Sidon said softly as he walked back to the fountain where his sister's soul resides. He picked up a worn book from the small pile of things laid about from their impromptu picnic as Link approached from behind.

"I think you should have this," Sidon said solemnly as he held out the book, "I've read it enough times."

Link took it carefully and caressed the top of the 100 year old relic softly.

Sidon, sensing his hesitation nudged him gently and said, "It's okay, you can open it."

Slowly, Link opened the book only to have the pages creak in protest at their sudden usage after so long being dormant.

His eyes widened as he read the first page.

"Her diary," he said breathlessly.

"I hope it'll bring you some clarity and comfort, as it did for me," Sidon said as he picked up the remainder of his things and headed back towards the throne room.

"Thank you," Link said without looking up as Sidon bowed his head and slowly disappeared from view.

For the rest of the night, until the early morning dawn, Link sat in the same spot, reading through the diary of his lost friend, his heart aching for what once was and for what could have been, to which he'll never truly know. Mipha's shadow loomed over him in solidarity, almost seeming to also be mourning, as her stone silhouette glistened in the moonlight.


End file.
